What Happened to Lazar Dukic? The 28-Year-Old Athlete Died During a CrossFit Competition
"We are fully cooperating with authorities and doing everything we can to support his family at this time," CrossFit said.
Published Aug. 8 2024, 3:59 p.m. ET
On Aug. 8, four-time CrossFit athlete Lazar Dukic died during the Individual Event 1 at the 2024 CrossFit Games.
Dukic, who was from Serbia, was competing in the swimming portion of an event that included a 3.5-mile run and an 800-meter swim.
But what happened to the 28-year-old athlete? Below, we take a look at the tragic incident, which occurred at Marine Creek Lake in Forth Worth, Texas.
What happened to Lazar Dukic?
During the swimming portion of the competition, Lazar went missing near the end of the event, at around 8 a.m., per the New York Post.
"Pray for Lazar," wrote The Barbell Spin on Instagram at the time. "It is our understanding that Lazar never crossed the finish line and search parties are in Marine Creek Lake looking for him. No further details are known at this time."
Sadly, two hours after Lazar went missing, his body was recovered from the lake.
"CrossFit is deeply saddened by the death of a CrossFit Games competitor during the swimming portion of Individual Event 1 at the 2024 CrossFit Games," the organization wrote in a statement on social media.
"We are fully cooperating with authorities and doing everything we can to support his family at this time," the statement continued. "The remainder of today's events have been suspended. The well-being of competitors is our first priority and we are heartbroken by this tragic event."
Though it's unclear how far exactly Lazar was from the finish line (some reports say he went missing about 100 meters away from the end), some fans have expressed outrage that more wasn't done to help the athlete.
"How you let someone drown in a lake, 50m from the finish line? What kind of water security is this? You guys are amateurs! This is no tragedy, this is pure lack of professionalism!" wrote one person on Instagram under CrossFit's official statement.
A GoFundMe campaign has been started to support Lazar's loved ones.
If you want to help support Lazar's family, the drink company Fitaid (a brand which Lazar had worked with) started a GoFundMe.
"We ask that you please keep his family in your thoughts and consider donating to the GoFundMe account that will be directly shared with his loved ones to support them during this extremely difficult time," Fitaid wrote on Instagram.
"On behalf of the entire FITAID Global Team we are beyond devastated," the company added. "Lazar is a beloved member of our team and has been like family over these years. Our hearts are broken."
Based on his Instagram posts, it looks like Lazar left behind a girlfriend named Anja Pantović. "Couldn’t do it without you!" he wrote in a celebratory post from May 2024.
