CrossFit Games continue in Fort Worth despite athlete Lazar Dukic’s drowning death

FORT WORTH, Texas – The CrossFit Games will resume in Fort Worth on Friday after a special tribute to the athlete who drowned during a race.

Organizers said they thought carefully about how to move forward in the wake of Lazar Dukic’s death.

Dukic, a native of Serbia, drowned while trying to swim in Marine Creek Lake on Thursday, which was the first day of the competition.

On Thursday morning, Dukic shared photos of himself on his social media accounts, expressing his eagerness to compete.

He had completed a 3.5-mile run with a pack of competitors and was nearing the end of a half-mile open water swim when he went underwater.

North Texas CrossFit enthusiast Kaitlin Pritchard said she saw Dukic begin to struggle in the water, but it didn’t look like an emergency. She said other swimmers also seemed tired.

What occurred is the last thing anyone would have expected, Pritchard said.

“You just don’t think these things are going to happen. These are elite athletes,” she said. “And to think that 30ish minutes later, one of the fittest people in the world is just gone like that… it doesn’t matter that you’re one of the fittest people in the world. Stuff can happen. Life is fragile. And you just never know.”

The CrossFit Games were suspended on Thursday after the accident.

Organizers said after a lot of consideration and consultation with Dukic’s family, it was decided that the games at Dickies Arena would continue throughout the remainder of the weekend.

Friday morning’s events will begin with a special tribute to Dukic.