On Thursday, hours after the tragic death of Lazar Dukic, athletes were put together to talk about the future of the CrossFit Games which, we now know, was not cancelled. Nobody from the media was allowed inside, but in a deeply emotional message, Luciana Dal Agnol, wife of CrossFit athlete Guilherme Malheiros, shared her thoughts and what happened behind closed doors during that meeting.
Her statement, filled with raw emotion and a firm stance on personal values, provides an insider’s view of the struggles faced by athletes and their families in the wake of the tragedy.
Luciana made it clear that her reflections were deeply personal, focusing on her own values rather than judging others. She expressed her distress at how the situation was handled, particularly by the organizers who decided to continue the competition despite the tragedy.
Chronological Facts: All We Know About Lazar’s Death and the Future of the CrossFit Games
What Happened Behind Closed Doors with CrossFit Organisers According to Luciana Dal Agnol, Guilherme Malheiros’ Wife
According to Luciana, the decision to continue the competition was made without adequately considering the athletes’ emotional states or the broader implications of moving forward as if nothing had happened.
After the tragedy on Thursday, the athletes were called to a meeting where it was announced that the competition would proceed. “Right at the beginning, they said the competition would continue. At that moment, some athletes stood up and left, including Gui, because it seemed unacceptable to simply continue a competition after such a tragedy.”
Luciana recounted how they later returned to the meeting, hoping to have a voice in the discussions, which lasted around 4 hours.
“We spent hours there, with athletes suggesting ideas—things that could be done to make them feel at least a little bit better about competing. For example, everyone wearing a shirt with his name, not promoting any brands, and instead doing everything in Lazar’s honour.”
It was also suggested that some of the prize money be divided among all athletes, not to make this competition about cash any longer, with the rest donated to Lazar’s family. However, despite these discussions, the final decision was to continue the event as planned, a choice that did not reflect the athletes’ collective input at the moment.
“In the end, what was decided was what the company wanted, not what the athletes or coaches who were there had suggested. They wanted to share the responsibility with the athletes, and in the end, they did what they wanted.”
“One well-known athlete, who has been in the sport for years, said, ‘I believe we all agree that we don’t want this responsibility to be shared between the company and the athletes, because it’s not fair for us to have this responsibility when we don’t really have a voice.’”
One poignant moment Luciana shared was her experience during the tribute held the next day. She described the tribute as brief and lacking the respect she felt was due, which deeply pained her. “The tribute was not what we expected. We found it disrespectful—it was just a few seconds of silence, photos that people posted on Instagram, and that was it.”
She recounted how many athletes were visibly shaken, with some considering whether they should continue participating. It was right after the tribute that she talked with Jeff Adler and Laura Horvath and they were letting everyone know that they would no longer be competing.
Despite these emotions, the competition was not delayed or altered, leaving athletes to make fast decisions about their involvement while still in distress.
“What hurt me a lot yesterday was seeing that the broadcast for those watching at home didn’t even have a mourning banner, nothing. It was as if nothing had happened.”
“Gui was crying a lot during the warm-up, during the entrance, in everything. He couldn’t stop crying, and I was trying to be strong and encourage him to go, but when I entered the arena, I also broke down and couldn’t stop crying.”
Luciana also touched on the physical and emotional toll the situation took on the athletes. She observed that many, including Guilherme, were so overwhelmed that they were unable to eat, drink, or sleep properly, raising serious concerns about their safety in such an intense competitive environment.
This, combined with the lack of adequate acknowledgment of the tragedy by the organizers, led to Luciana and Guilherme’s decision to withdraw from the competition. “I’m not saying that those who continued are wrong or that we are right. I’m saying that, in compatibility with our values, it wasn’t right for us.”
If you want to know fully the reasoning of Guilherme Malheiros withdrawing, he shared on his stories in Portuguese and in English. Click here and see if it is still available.
In closing, Luciana mentioned that they were contemplating ways to support the community moving forward, though details were still uncertain. Her message aimed to bring awareness to what was happening behind the scenes, particularly for those watching from afar who might not fully grasp the gravity of the situation, and it gives us a glimpse of what went down behind closed doors with organisers of the CrossFit Games.
A total of 13 individual athletes have officially withdrawn their names from continuing in the competition this weekend at Fort Worth, Texas. All of them have left after the tragic death of athlete Lazar Dukic during event 1, a run & swim workout programmed on Thursday morning.
The full list of the athletes who are no longer competing at the 2024 CrossFit Games are:
