Serbian athlete Lazar Dukic dies during CrossFit event in Texas

A Serbian athlete, Lazar Dukic, tragically passed away on Thursday morning during a CrossFit swimming event in Texas, as confirmed by the fitness organization on social media.

“We are devastated by the passing of Lazar Dukic. Our hearts are with Lazar’s entire family, friends, and fellow athletes,” CrossFit expressed in a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter.

Dukic, 28, reportedly went underwater and did not resurface during a swimming event at the CrossFit Games, an annual multi-day fitness challenge attracting athletes from around the world, according to local media reports.

CrossFit announced that it is “fully cooperating with authorities and doing everything we can to support the family at this time.”

Following the incident, CrossFit announced on X that all events scheduled for Thursday have been put on hold. However, the organization did not clarify whether the competition would proceed as planned through Sunday.

According to AFP, Dukic was ranked third in Serbia and 88th globally. He had recently secured first place in this year’s European CrossFit semi-final.

Editing by Julian Adetinuyo