‘Gut-wrenching’: CrossFit Games athlete Lazar Đukić dies during swim at Fort Worth lake

A CrossFit athlete drowned in Marine Creek Lake on Thursday morning during the run swim event, the first event of the four-day games.

Witnesses said on social media that athlete Lazar Đukić disappeared in the lake during the event. The 28-year-old from Serbia was an accomplished CrossFit champion.

Officials have confirmed Đukić’s death on the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s website.

CrossFit officials confirmed the death of one of the athletes in a statement Thursday afternoon without mentioning his name, and said they were “heartbroken” over the incident.

“We are deeply saddened by the death of a CrossFit Games competitor during the swimming portion of the individual event,” the statement said.

Kaitlin Pritchard from Midlothian was watching the event live at Marine Creek Lake.

“We didn’t totally know what was going on before they asked us to leave,” Pritchard told the Star-Telegram over the phone.

Pritchard said she was standing by the finish line and saw Đukić round the final corner as part of the first group of swimmers who were getting close to shore. She also heard his name called over the loudspeaker along with the names of other athletes who were nearing the finish line.

According to Pritchard, the athlete had been one of several she noticed changing up their swim patterns at different times during the event and just trying to keep their heads above water. Pritchard assumed they were tired from the run they had just completed.

“It’s all hindsight now, because you didn’t know what was going on at the time,” she said. “There wasn’t that immediate notification of, oh, someone was missing. I mean, people were still swimming over him, you know, where he went down.”

Pritchard said she saw people whom she assumed were lifeguards on paddle boards swimming around in the lake, but she didn’t notice them jumping in to try to rescue anyone.

“Gauging where the people on the paddle boards were and everything, it’s just that he should have been reachable,” Pritchard said.

Pritchard arrived at the site of the event early to watch the athletes warm up. Even though it was around 6:30 a.m., it was already getting warm outside. She said she’s completed eight marathons herself, and knows what heat can do to an athlete’s body.

Pritchard said she was surprised the three-and-a-half mile running race was scheduled before the swimming event. She remembers hoping as she watched the athletes warm up that were replenishing their salts and fluids. She was worried they would lose a lot of electrolytes and cramp up before they could even get in the water.

She described Đukić’s drowning as “gut wrenching.”

A video of the event appears to show the swimmer struggling in the water, even as other athletes get close to shore.

CrossFit CEO Don Faul said at a Thursday morning news conference that the fitness organization will be working closely with authorities during the investigation. According to Faul, CrossFit has a fully documented safety plan and safety personnel are on site during events.

In answer to a question about whether adequate preparations were made for the heat the athletes would face in Fort Worth, Faul said extensive planning went into the events, including what time of day each event would take place.

He described CrossFit as a family whose members care for each other.

“There’s a lot of people in the (CrossFit) community who are hurting right now and really sad,” Faul said. “They knew the athlete well and they loved and respected this person.”

The Fort Worth Fire Department sent search and rescue crews, including boats, divers and a drone, a department spokesperson said at the news conference at the lake. Firefighters pulled Đukić’s body out of Marine Creek Lake around 10 a.m.

“Our hearts and thoughts and prayers go out to the family members that were affected today in this tragic event, the CrossFit community and the community here in Fort Worth, Texas,” Fire Department spokesperson Craig Trojacek said.

About seven Fire Department units responded to Marine Creek Lake, near the Tarrant County College Northwest campus, shortly after 8 a.m., according to the 911 call sheet.

Fort Worth Mayor Mattie Parker’s office released a statement about the drowning and said they “are profoundly saddened by the tragic loss.” Mental health and grief counselors will be available to those who need it.

“We take great pride in being the host city for the CrossFit Games and remain committed to working closely with CrossFit to provide a supportive environment for all athletes, spectators, and visitors,” the statement said.

The games will continue on Friday. “After careful thought and many conversations internally, with athletes, and with Lazar Đukić’s family, it’s been decided that the CrossFit Games will continue throughout the remainder of the weekend at Dickies Arena,” CrossFit officials said in a statement Thursday night.

Friday’s events will begin with a special tribute to honor Lazar at 10 a.m. at Dickies Arena, followed by team and individual events beginning at 11 a.m. An updated schedule can be found on the organization’s website.

The CrossFit Games were using Marine Creek Lake for swimming competitions. According to the schedule, an individual run swim event began at 7 a.m., which was to include a 3.5-mile run followed by an 800-meter swim.

An estimated 10,000 people are in Fort Worth for the games that started Thursday and run through Sunday, with the main events scheduled to take place at Dickies Arena. Thursday’s events at Dickies were canceled, and spectators were seen leaving the arena.

“We are fully cooperating with authorities and doing everything we can to support the family at this time,” CrossFit Games officials said in a statement Thursday. “The remainder of today’s events have been suspended. The well-being of our competitors is our first priority.”

This is the first year that the games have been held in Texas. The games are a four-day fitness contest where athletes from 33 countries compete in various events that change each year including swimming, one-rep max lifts, sled pushing, handstand walks and more.

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