Body pulled from water at CrossFit Games event in Fort Worth after drowning call & swimmer seen struggling in video
DISTURBING video footage showed a CrossFit participant gasping for air before drowning in a swimming competition on Thursday.
Fans of the CrossFit Games were just starting to tune into the live stream when a participant was seen struggling and vanished underwater.
Emergency crews then responded to calls at around 8am on Thursday in Fort Worth, Texas – just an hour after the run-swim competition started.
Viewers watching the live stream noticed participant Lazar Đukić disappeared and was feared dead.
CrossFit athlete Cole Learn shared a heartbreaking post on Instagram about the tragic event.
“For everybody asking for updates at the CrossFit Games, we watched [the swimmer] go under and we screamed for lifeguards,” Cole said through tears in a video posted to his Story.
“We were pretty far away so it was tough to do anything else but we were yelling for lifeguards.”
Cole said that the lifeguard couldn’t hear the cries for help and that the swimmer “just never came back up.”
“I’m absolutely devastated and that’s not something that I wanted to watch,” he added.
ATHLETE’S DESPERATE CRY FOR HELP
Police have not released any information about the person they pulled out of the water.
The Fort Worth Fire Department was seen pulling a body out of the water and putting it in a body bag.
The department confirmed to The U.S. Sun that a participant was left unaccounted for during the swimming competition.
The participant was last seen in the water and found dead at the scene.
Homicide detectives have been notified of the incident.
“CrossFit is deeply saddened by the death of a CrossFit Games competitor during the swimming portion of Individual Event 1 at the 2024 CrossFit Games,” CrossFit said in a statement.
“We are fully cooperating with authorities and doing everything we can to support the family at this time.
“The remainder of today’s events have been suspended,” the statement continued.
“The well-being of competitors is our first priority and we are heartbroken by this tragic event.”
CrossFit CEO Don Faul spoke to reporters later in the day at a press conference and held back tears while discussing the tragic order of events.
“We’re doing everything in our power during this tragic time to support the family, to support our community,” Faul said.
He added that CrossFit was collaborating closely with authorities on the investigation.
Timeline of CrossFit Games drowning
6:58 am – Fort Worth police officers were on the scene
7 am – Run-swim event started
7:37 am – Swimmer shown struggling for air and slowing down on the live stream
8 am – Fire department received calls reporting drowning
10 am – Body pulled from water and event’s live stream suspended
12:48 pm – CrossFit shared statement
LIVE STREAM HORROR
Before reports of the drowning came in, there had already been speculation that a swimmer vanished during the competition.
Concerns started when footage from the CrossFit Games showed a competitor struggling in the water during the event.
On the live stream, the swimmer could be seen slowing down and gasping for air before disappearing beneath the water.
It’s unclear if the person struggling in the water was the same person who drowned.
The event was being live-streamed on multiple platforms, but the video feed was abruptly cut and no longer appears online.
The next scheduled event in the competition has also been canceled.
This was the first day of the competition, which was set to continue until Sunday. It’s unclear if the event will continue.
The U.S. Sun has reached out to CrossFit Games for further comment.
The CrossFit Games feature 40 men and 40 women competing to win the top prize of $315,000.
The Games have not announced whether events scheduled for Friday and Saturday will continue.
The run-swim event was scheduled to kick off the competitions, which included a 3.5-mile run and an 800-meter swim.
Other events called the Hammer Down and the Amanda 0.45 have been canceled.
The Track and Field event and Clean Ladder are scheduled for Friday and Saturday.
What are the CrossFit Games?
- The competition began in 2007 in Aromas, California
- Events include track and field, gymnastics, weightlifting, decathlon, distance swims, obstacle courses, handstand walking, sled pushes, rope climbs, and object carries
- Each year, athletes must prepare for a variety of events that aren’t disclosed beforehand
- Athletes must participate in the Open before moving on to the Games
- Only 40 men, 40 women, 140 masters athletes, 40 teenage athletes, 40 teams, and 30 worldwide athletes are invited to participate in the Games
- Athletes can participate with a team or as an individual
CrossFit Games full statement
CrossFit Games released a statement announcing the death of a competitor on Thursday. The statement read,
“CrossFit is deeply saddened by the death of a CrossFit Games competitor during the swimming portion of Individual Event 1 at the 2024 CrossFit Games.”
“We are fully cooperating with authorities and doing everything we can to support the family at this time.
“The remainder of today’s events have been suspended.
“The well-being of competitors is our first priority and we are heartbroken by this tragic event.”