FORT WORTH, Texas — On the first day of the CrossFit Games in Fort Worth, Texas, tragedy struck.
At Marine Creek Lake, the site of a run-and-swim event, a body was recovered at approximately 10 a.m. Thursday morning after the Fort Worth Fire Department responded to a drowning call at the location. The body crews recovered was identified by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner as Lazar Đukić, a 28-year-old from Serbia.
The event was streamed on ESPN+ and several other platforms including Facebook, Twitch and YouTube. All the livestreams abruptly ended Thursday morning. The Sevan Podcast, which covers the CrossFit Games, was livestreaming their reactions and commentary about the competition when they noted that the swimming event had been canceled.
"Which makes me think something bad happened, if they want everyone to leave" one of the podcasters said.
The group then began playing audio from a woman who was explaining the situation.
"It looks like we have a serious issue on our hands," the woman could be heard saying.
The group then received a call from someone who was apparently at the scene and asked them to cut off their livestream.
"Guys we're going to have to end the stream," one of the podcasters said. "It looks like something serious has happened."
The first CrossFit Games event was held in 2007. This is the first year CrossFit has held its annual games in Texas as opposed to its typical location in Madison, Wisconsin.
Who is Lazar Đukić?
Đukić was a four-time CrossFit Games athlete, according to his Instagram page, and the 2024 Europe Semifinal champion. He was the first individual athlete to win three consecutive Semifinals. He was ranked 88th worldwide in the male category, 33rd in Europe and 3rd in Serbia.
In a video posted the day before his passing, Đukić said his goal was to podium at this CrossFit Games. He and his brother, Luka Đukić, were at the CrossFit Games competing together.
Luka Đukić posted a video earlier this week of the brothers practicing the same route.
Lazar Đukić has previously finished ninth, eighth and ninth in the previous three CrossFit Games, respectively, according to his profile.
Before Đukić's body was recovered by rescue crews at the Fort Worth lake, he was last seen swimming about 100 meters from the end of a 800-meter swim that followed a 3.5-mile run.
The first CrossFit Games swimming event was held in 2011. Following the 2011 event it became a recurring event in the Games.
"This marked a significant shift in the Games, as it took the athletes out of a controlled environment and tested their adaptability in the elements. That event saw some men and women thrive and some crumble under pressure, mainly due to lack of training in the water," an article on the CrossFit Games website states.
Former CEO of CrossFit Dave Castro expressed his condolences to Đukić’s family in a video online.
“It’s been an incredibly difficult day with the incident today with Lazar, and I’m mourning just like our community is. Just like the family is. And trying to focus on what we can do for them and how we can make it better with what we’re able to do with this small thing we have,” Castro said.
In 2017, a CrossFit Games athlete from Mississippi was saved from drowning when the event was held in Madison, Wisc., WMC Action News 5 reported.
A GoFundMe has been started to support Đukić's family. As of 3 p.m. on Thursday, it had already raised more than $130,000.
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