CrossFit Games 2024: Serbian athlete Lazar Dukic drowns during competition in Texas; CEO Don Faul said he is ‘gutted’ by death

A Serbian athlete drowned during a swimming event at a CrossFit competition in Texas on Thursday, the organization said.

The death occurred on the first day of the CrossFit Games, being held in Fort Worth through Sunday. The events have been canceled for the rest of the day, CrossFit said.

The athlete was later identified as Lazar Dukic by the Tarrant County Medical Examiner.

CrossFit CEO Don Faul said during a press briefing he is “gutted” by the death.

“We’ll continue to be focused on our community and the family through this tragic set of circumstances,” Faul said.

The incident occurred Thursday morning in Marine Creek Lake. The Fort Worth Fire Department responded around 8 a.m. local time to a call regarding a CrossFit Games participant who went missing in the water, authorities said.

First responders used dive teams and a drone to find Dukic, who was recovered from the water about an hour after the dive team response, authorities said.

The body of the athlete has been transferred to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner, police said.

“There’s a lot of people in the community that are hurting right now, that are really sad, that knew the athlete well, that loved, respected this person,” Faul said. “A lot of people are in mourning.”

Faul said CrossFit is cooperating with authorities in the investigation.

The swimming portion of the event was being livestreamed on several platforms before abruptly stopping Thursday morning, according to Dallas ABC affiliate WFAA. Livestreams of the event are no longer available on CrossFit Games’ platforms.

Safety personnel were on site during the event, Faul said.

Thirty teams from around the world are competing in the CrossFit Games, which is being held in Texas for the first time in its 18-year history.

CrossFit will be “regrouping” later Thursday to discuss the plan for the remainder of the games, Faul said.

This is a developing story. Please check back for updates.