Lazar Dukic: Serbian CrossFit Games competitor dies during Texas lake swimming event
A CrossFit Games competitor has died while taking part in a swimming event.
Lazar Dukic was competing at Marine Creek Lake in Fort Worth, Texas, on Thursday morning when he disappeared beneath the water.
Emergency services were called at around 8am local time to reports there “was a participant in the water that was down and hadn’t been seen in some point in time”.
After launching a search with a dive team and drones, the athlete’s body was found around an hour after the first divers went into the water.
The rest of the events on day one of the games were cancelled after the death.
CrossFit chief executive Don Faul said in a news conference the organisers were “deeply saddened” by the death and were working with authorities on the subsequent investigation.
He added: “We’re doing everything in our power during this tragic time to support the family, to support our community.”
Mr Faul also confirmed CrossFit did have safety personnel on-site during the swim.
The medical examiner’s office has not yet listed the cause of Dukic’s death.
Dukic’s biography on the CrossFit website says he was the third-ranked CrossFit athlete in Serbia and the 88th-ranked worldwide.
CrossFit is a branded fitness regime that involves competing in a variety of movements at a high intensity. Sky News has approached CrossFit for comment.
