What was the cause of death of CrossFit athlete Lazar Dukic?

Lazar Dukic went missing in the water during the swimming event at the 2024 CrossFit Games, with his body discovered soon after.

Having led the race with only a short distance left to go in the water, the Serbian did not cross the finish line and footage was captured that seemed to show him struggling in Marine Creek Lake. After informing the CrossFit Games’ organisers when Dukic failed to emerge from the water, the Fort Worth Fire Department were called in, after which his body was recovered.

“CrossFit is deeply saddened by the death of one of our athletes in the swim portion of our event this morning,” said CrossFit CEO Don Faul. “We are collaborating, we are working very closely with the authorities with the follow-up investigation”.

How did Lazar Dukic die?

At the time of writing, a cause of death has not been given by the medical examiners’ report. However, local media outlet Fort Worth Star Telegram reported that “in a review of triathletes who died or experienced cardiac arrest while competing, researchers found that about two out of every three deaths occurred during the swimming portion of the triathlon”, while adding that “open-water swim events can also unmask previously undiagnosed heart conditions”.

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Held in Fort Worth, Texas, the hugely popular event puts a number of athletes to the test both physically and mentally with a series of challenges that push the human body to the extreme. The CrossFit games first started in California in 2007.

While the rest of Thursday’s events were cancelled, CrossFit announced that the programming would indeed continue, saying that “the only cure for grief is to grieve. And the best way to grieve is together. In our community, coming together to do hard things is how we pay tribute. In this spirit, we have decided to move forward with the 2024 CrossFit Games. This weekend is dedicated to Lazar Đukić. We will open tomorrow at 10:00 am.”