A Serbian athlete, Lazar Dukic, tragically drowned during the CrossFit Games in Fort Worth, Texas, on August 8, 2024. Dukic, who was just inches from the finish line, disappeared beneath the water in Marine Creek Lake. First responders, using dive teams and a drone, located his body about an hour later.

Today is the saddest day in @CrossFit history. We are shattered by the loss of Lazar Đukić along with the entire CrossFit community.

Lazar was one of our sport’s most talented competitors, but he was much more than an athlete. He was a son, a brother, and a friend to practically… pic.twitter.com/iOCdn7PCSd

— The CrossFit Games (@CrossFitGames) August 9, 2024

CrossFit CEO Don Faul expressed his deep sorrow, stating, “There’s a lot of people in the community that are hurting right now.” He confirmed that safety personnel were on-site, but questions about the adequacy of the response have been raised. Witnesses reported shouting for help as Dukic struggled, with one saying, “I feel like, at that point, she needed to blow a whistle and stop the event.”

Videos of the incident have surfaced, sparking outrage. Former lifeguard Adam Mahler commented, “This should result in lawsuits and jail time for the people responsible.” CrossFit has since dedicated the weekend’s events to Dukic, describing him as “fiercely competitive, incurably joyful, and uncommonly kind.”