The races in Fort Worth Texas, USA had just started. Then disaster struck for Serbian Lazar Dukic, who drowned at the end of the swimming phase.
The pictures showed how the 28-year-old struggled to stay above the surface just over 100 meters from the finish line.
But he got no help, and about an hour after the races, the body was found — where it was then transported to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner, where Dukic was identified as the deceased, according to ABC.
“Lazar lit up every room he walked into with his contagious personality and smile. This tragedy has shaken us and our hearts are broken,” the organizer wrote in a statement.
“Then we started shouting at the lifeguard”
Cole Learn, a crossfit athlete from Canada, watched the incident unfold from the sidelines.
– I saw how he started to climb. He started making small turns and he tried to get his head out of the water. That’s when we started shouting to the lifeguard that he needed help – within seconds he was under the water and never came up again, he says.
The competitions during yesterday were postponed, during the night of Friday the organizer announced that they will continue during the weekend.
“The best cure for grief is grieving, and it’s best to do it together. Therefore, we will continue with the Crossfit Games in 2024”.
