Serbian Athlete suddenly drowns underwater during swimming competition in Texas: Watch

Serbian athlete Lazar Dukic drowns under the water just moments before crossing the finish line at the 2024 CrossFit Games.

On Thursday morning, a 28-year-old Serbian athlete, Lazar Dukic, drowned during the 2024 CrossFit Games at Fort Worth's Marine Creek Lake, Texas. The annual competition, which opened in Fort Worth for the first time, was set to run through Sunday but took a devastating turn.

Lazar Dukic, of Serbia, 28, died while competing in a CrossFit Games swimming event on Thursday, Aug. 8, 2024, at a lake in Texas. (FITAID via AP)(AP)

The run-swim event began at 7 a.m. and featured a 3.5-mile run followed by an 800-meter swim. As the athletes were competing, Dukic appeared to struggle in the water and was seen slipping beneath the surface.

According to eyewitnesses, the incident unfolded so “very, very quickly”, leaving those watching helplessly.

Fort Worth Fire Department officials were called to the scene around 8 a.m. to search for the missing swimmer. After an hour-long search involving boats, dive teams, and drones, the rescue team tragically located Dukic's body.

The Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office later identified the athlete and confirmed his death, although the official cause has yet to be determined.

Eye witness recounts Lazar Dukic sudden drowning

Cole Learn, a fellow CrossFit enthusiast visiting Fort Worth from Toronto, Ontario, was among those watching the event unfold. He told NBC 5 Dallas-Fort Worth, “It was pretty devastating.”

“We were watching the athletes come in from their swim, and for some reason, I was watching Lazar. It looked like he was struggling a little bit. Very, very quickly, he kind of did a couple of circles; he was, like, turning around trying to get air, and he was underwater.”

“There were 10 of us that saw it, we started screaming for the lifeguard,” he added. Unfortunately, the distance from the shore made immediate intervention impossible. “Jumping in wouldn't have been an option,” Learn said.

He also noted that lifeguards, stationed on paddle boats, seemed to be focused on the finish line rather than the swimmers still approaching, which may have delayed their response to Dukic's struggle. “Deep down, I knew he was still under there. Your mind starts to play tricks on you like, 'Maybe he came up somewhere else? Maybe he was OK?' But deep down, I knew something was wrong,” Learn reflected.

“I watched his brother run up and down, looking for him, and it's going to be ingrained in my memory for the rest of my life. It's horrible.”

CrossFit mourns for Lazar Dukic

CrossFit CEO Don Faul addressed the media later in the event, expressing his deep sorrow over the loss. “[I'm] gutted,” Faul said, and added, “Really sad.”

“CrossFit is, as you know, in some ways like a family. People care a lot about each other. There's a lot of people in the community that are hurting right now, that are very sad, that knew the athlete well, that loved, respected this person. A lot of people are mourning.”