Many CrossFit fans are mourning the death of Lazar Dukic, who died while competing in a CrossFit Games swimming event at a lake in Fort Worth on Thursday.
Dukic, 28, of Serbia, appeared to struggle before disappearing underwater close to the end of the swim event at this year’s international CrossFit Games held at Marine Creek Lake in Fort Worth.
Spectators shouted for lifeguards, but, as the participant, Cole Learn, said, “The lifeguards weren’t paying attention to the swimmers — they were watching whoever was coming out of the water,” per The Washington Post.
“Once I realized the lifeguard didn’t see him go under, I knew there was nothing we could do,” Learn added.
The Fort Worth Fire Department was alerted around 8 a.m. on August 8 that a contestant was unaccounted for; divers discovered Dukic’s body one hour after beginning the search.
The death of Dukic has raised concerns about whether the competition organizers had sufficient safety measures in position for the participants in the challenging multi-day event.
Here is more of what the Washington Post had to say about the CrossFit Games safety plan:
“After speaking with the Dukic family and other athletes, we made the decision to move forward with the 2024 CrossFit Games, dedicated to Lazar Dukic,” Faul said in a statement. “CrossFit’s paramount consideration is the safety of our community, and there are rigorous safety measures in place for each event.”
Some of the questions about the game’s safety precautions concern CrossFit’s decision to have athletes begin Thursday at 7 a.m. with a 3.5-mile run before tackling the half-mile swim. Experts told The Post that other multisport endurance events with a swimming component, such as triathlons, generally have athletes begin in the water, based on the notion that it’s safest to swim when entrants are least fatigued.
CrossFit did not respond to a request for comment Saturday seeking more information about the safety measures. Faul said at a news conference Thursday that CrossFit had a “fully planned and documented safety plan” in place, but did not provide additional details, saying those “will be part of the information that’s to come as part of the investigation.”
The CrossFit Games is an annual competition in which participants vie for the title of “Fittest on Earth” in a program that includes running, swimming, weightlifting and gymnastics. The competition — which has gained popularity through ESPN’s broadcasting — is similar to a decathlon, only with a dozen separate events.
Ben Williams, a triathlon coach and owner of the Hawaii Triathlon Center, said he had never seen a swimmer drown at the end of a race in the 20 years he’s been participating in and organizing competitions. At the triathlons he’s been involved with, he added, he will sometimes hire enough lifeguards for there to be a one-to-one ratio of rescue personnel to athletes.
“It’s important for the organizers to communicate the level of difficulty and risks involved in the race,” he said. “You’re in a wild environment so you don’t have complete control but you have to mitigate it the best you can.”