It was in August 2021, right after the CrossFit Games, that I learned how to pronounce Lazar Đukić’s name correctly, like most of us. He had just finished his first rookie year and finished 9th. As a journalist, I wanted to understand more about this guy who seemingly came out of nowhere and won people’s heart just by sweating and smiling during one weekend in Madison, Wisconsin.
So I went through his Instagram, way back to his posts, and also to a YouTube channel he would post alongside his brother Luka Đukić, and found out about the “Beat the Đukić Challenge” where they both would do a workout and challenge other people to be faster or stronger than them.
“What a competitive healthy mindset,” I thought to myself. I wrote that article and, out of the blue, decided to send him a message to get to know him even better, to do a full interview. He said yes in a flash and a week later we were talking through a video call.
One thing you probably have heard from every other comment about Lazar Đukić is how friendly he is. I’m here to tell you the same. From the moment his face appeared on my screen until we said our goodbyes, he had a smile on and a positive vibe.
I remember he was full of pride in what he accomplished, after all, top 10 in the world the first time around is not an easy feat. In his rookie year, Lazar finished 9th and said “it could have been better, but we need to save something for next year.”
How can you not love someone like that?
Someone who understands the difficulties you go through to get to such a place, put on a smile and joke about it? This is the real deal. He is a good mix of Scott Panchik, Brent Fikowski, Pat Vellner, and Jonne Koski, in my point of view. Tell me, does anyone in the CrossFit community doesn’t like these guys? Well, Lazar Đukić was that and more.
But his eyes would spark with fire when talking about the future – how Serbia was going to be the “next Iceland” of CrossFit talents, name-dropping Luka Vunjak, Boris Judin, Martin Krajtmar, Luka Jegarski – I told him not to name his brother because that is a given; those two are inseparable.
“We didn’t even consider each other as competition. We considered ourselves as a team. Even though you have your coach, they are not going to know what you are going through,” Lazar Đukić explained when explaining what a thrill it was to have brother Luka as his roommate during their first appearance at the Games in 2021.
In fact, if you look through Lazar’s Instagram page you will see him smiling all the time, being kind to other people, and hyping his brother to anyone who wants to listen to him. He put family ahead of anything.
Hence the last post on his Instagram account, also shared by his brother Luka Đukić after the check-in at this year’s CrossFit Games. It reads:
“Blood is not water, from the cradle to the grave, my soulmate, my brother. Blood is not water, people of the same breed, he will never sell me, my brother. @crossfitgames“
From Serbia to Belgrade, to Belgium, Croatia, Egypt, Romania, France, Cyprus, and also the Dubai CrossFit Championship. These were some of the countries in which he competed and won accolades before showing off his bright smile to thousands of people across the globe via the CrossFit Games YouTube channel.
And call me biased, but ever since that interview with him, I looked for his name on the leaderboard on each part of the CrossFit season. Open, Quarterfinals, Semifinals, and of course, the CrossFit Games. I usually put his name as either the dark horse to look out for, or the guy who could beat anyone, be at the Rogue Invitational, the Dubai Fitness Championship or the CrossFit Games. He was usually on my list and man was he getting strong for this year – he won the Semifinals and said he wasn’t at his peak yet.
The more you look back on Lazar’s past, the more uneasy you feel about how someone full of life passed away so soon. I usually wonder why it always happens to nice people, in this case to the nicest athlete I’ve ever encountered in my life – and many other CrossFit athletes will vouch for how kind and generous Lazar was.
It is typically difficult for me to feel a strong connection to someone I’ve never met in real life. When the news of Lazar Đukić started creeping in and becoming more real that he could have drowned, a feeling of despair came back little by little until it was official. Still after seeing his photo across every single Instagram page, you don’t want to believe, but you can’t run away from reality.
What can you say after something like this happens? Someone died at the CrossFit Games. No, not someone, Lazar Đukić. And he drowned! Although we are all angered by what happened, time will heal us back stronger together. But you know what else can also help the healing process? Accountability.
There were too many wrongdoings that allowed for such a tragedy to occur, and it has nothing to do with volunteers or fans. Not a single moment I thought of blaming any athlete for competing or withdrawing from competition – there are many factors that are considered before someone takes that decision in such a stressful environment.
A day, a week, a month, or a year from now, the people will still be hurt and angered unless something substantial is done to prevent this from ever happening again. As a journalist and a human being, I don’t want to cover someone’s death during a sports event – it simply cannot happen again and that is not negotiable.
GoFundMe page to donate to Lazar and his family
You can read our interview with Lazar Đukić from 2021 in the links below:
The Path of Lazar Đukić To Become the 9th Fittest on Earth – BOXROX Interview (Part 1)
Lazar Đukić Plans for 2021, Serbia and After Retirement – BOXROX Interview (Part 2)
image sources
- Lazar and Luka Dukic: Courtesy of Lazar Dukic
- Luka and Lazar Dukic: Courtesy of Lazar Dukic
