Popular Games athlete Lazar Dukic went missing during the final swimming section of Event 1 of the 2024 CrossFit Games.
The Event consisted of a 3.5-mile run followed by an 800-meter swim. After it was concluded, the organizers and crowd noticed that Lazar Dukic was missing. The last sighting of Dukic on the live stream could be seen at the 38:02 mark, around 100 metres from the finish line.
The 28-year-old Serbian athlete was competing in his 4th CrossFit Games.
What Exactly Happened
Individual athletes were expected to compete first thing in the morning on Thursday (8) for the “Lake Day” event:
- 3.5-mile run
- 800-metre swim
The run and swim took place around the Marine Creek Lake.
Men and women both started the competition at the same time. During the run, there were no major issues – Victor Hoffer, from France, had to withdraw even before starting as he allegedly didn’t recover from an injury.
The problem began when athletes were in the lake to finish the event. At some point halfway through 800-metre swim, during the Livestream, the commentators explain that Jelle Hoste is first at the 30-minute mark. He is followed closely by Lazar Dukic. “Second place is Lazar Dukic, a great start for him.”
Less than 7 minutes later, Jelle Hoste crosses the finish line and wins the event. During the Livestream, you can barely see Lazar Dukic falling behind, not wearing a cap, alternating between breaststroke and crawl style, close to the last float before the finish line.
As Tia-Clair Toomey crosses the finish line, you can still see Lazar struggling in the back, trying to move forward. Second in the event is Brent Fikowski, followed by Roman Khrennikov, Ricky Garard and Ruan Potgieter. At the Livestream, again, this is two minutes after Jelle Hoste crossed the finish line, it is possible to see someone one the right side of the video, from the crowd, jumping into the water in the direction where float is, presumably going after Lazar Dukic. Soon after, someone on a paddle board goes close to the place and return – the person swimming also returned to the shore, unsure if it was ordered to or couldn’t find anything.
At minute 45’47’’, commentator Chase Ingraham says “I thought we had Lazar Dukic in the top. I haven’t him cross the finish line, at least at what we are looking at, it might have been a chip failure.”
Following that, the comment on the Livestream was: “You’ve got to assume that might be a bit of an error, unless we simply identified him wrong coming out of the water. But I’m quite sure he was towards the top of that overall finish, no doubt.”
As more and more athletes crossed the finish line, there was no word about Lazar Dukic. When the team event was bound to begin, athletes and the media covering heard through the loudspeakers that the event had been cancelled and people were urged to get back to the CrossFit Games villa.
It is at this point that a rescue boat is seen coming into the lake and people who were at the event said they believed someone drowned. Later, looking closer at the Livestream, it was possible to see that before Tia-Clair Toomey crossed the finish line, one could see Dukic’ head popping in and out of the water as he was swimming – and seconds later, you could not see him any longer.
Soon after, while speculations began to run wild online, CrossFit has made the Livestream of the event private, so no one was able to see the events unfolding any longer. CrossFit has also deleted 3 posts on their Instagram account that was related to the first event of the Games, perhaps to prevent people from commenting about the situation on those posts.
Hours later and there was still no official statement from CrossFit about what happened. The WFAA, an ABC-affiliated news in Fort Worth, reported that the Fort Woth Fire Department received reports of a drowning at the lake around 8 am local time and at 10 am a body was pulled from the water.
The Barbell Spin posted the following information on Instagram.
Cole Learn posted the following video on his Instagram.
CBS News Texas has also reported on the tragic event. “CBS News Texas chopper was over the reservoir, which showed first responders pulling a body out of the water and putting it in a bodybag.”
At 11:42 am local time (nearly 4 hours after Lazar Dukic drowned), CrossFit released a statement on their Instagram account saying they were “deeply saddened by the death of a CrossFit Games competitor during the swimming portion of Individual Event 1.”
UPDATE
At 6:38 pm, local time, CrossFit officially announces the death of athlete Lazar Dukic.
Our prayers are with him and his family. Learn more about the humble and highly talented athlete in our previous two part interview with him:
Interview with Lazar Dukic Part 1
Interview with Lazar Dukic Part 2
More About Lazar Dukic
Who is Lazar Dukic?
Lazar Dukic is a professional CrossFit athlete from Serbia, renowned for his impressive performances in the CrossFit Games and various international competitions. Born on April 18, 1996, he has quickly risen to prominence in the CrossFit community due to his exceptional strength, endurance, and competitive drive.
What are some of Lazar Dukic’s notable achievements?
2023 CrossFit Games – 9th place
2022 CrossFit Games – 8th place
2021 CrossFit Games – 9th place
How did Lazar Dukic start his CrossFit journey?
Lazar Dukic began his CrossFit journey in 2014 after transitioning from traditional sports like basketball. His dedication and natural athletic ability quickly propelled him to the top levels of the sport. Within a few years, he was competing in regional and international competitions, steadily improving his rankings.
image sources
- Rescue Team Fort Worth Fire Department WFAA image: WFAA
