The international CrossFit Games continued Friday, one day after a competitor drowned while swimming across a Fort Worth lake.
Friday opened with a special tribute honoring 28-year-old Lazar Ðukić, who is from Serbia. CrossFit said in a statement the decision to continue the games came after “careful thought and many conversations” internally, with athletes and with Đukić's family.
Ðukić was the third-ranked CrossFit athlete in Serbia and the 88th-ranked worldwide, according to Đukić's biography on the CrossFit website.
A GoFundMe page for the athlete has raised more than $300,000 as of Friday morning.
Ðukić debuted at the CrossFit Games in 2021 after playing water polo for years in Serbia. He later introduced his brother, Luka, to CrossFit, and the two were competing together this year.
“I know somebody is working all the time next to me,” Lazar Ðukić said in a video this week on Instagram. “This pushes me hard, both mentally and physically. And I can’t let my brother beat me. So, yeah, it’s just a great push to have him.”
Ðukić was known for his kindness, humor and supportive nature, the GoFundMe says.
“Beyond his athletic achievements, Lazar was caring, humorous and relentlessly supported those around him,” the page reads. “His warm, supportive nature and quick wit left a lasting impression on everyone he met.”
“Lazar’s legacy of approaching life with kindness and humor will always be remembered.”
The CrossFit Games is an annual competition that seeks to crown “the fittest man and the fittest woman on Earth.” Typically in Madison, Wis., the games moved to Texas for the first time this year.
