Questions about why lifeguards did not notice Dukic struggled and come to his aid have been raised.
CrossFit Games athlete Lazar Dukic drowned during a live swim event in Fort Worth, Texas.
Dukic, a CrossFit champion, was a top contender in the CrossFit Games. Athletes from around the world take part in the competition and participate in a series of challenges for the title of fittest person on earth.
In the competition, a three-and-a-half mile run is followed by a half-mile swim.
Dukic practiced for the games days before the race and swam with ease.
At a short distance from the finish line, Dukic was in distress. His head could be seen bobbing in the water. Two lifeguards on paddleboards alongside the swimmers did not seem to notice he was in trouble.
A spectator jumped into the water to try to save him, but it was too late.
"He was trying to get his head out of the water, and it was at that time that we started screaming to the lifeguard like, 'He needs help,' and then within seconds he was under, and he never came back up," witness Cole Learn tells Inside Edition.
An hour later, Dukic's body was pulled from the water by divers.
Questions about why lifeguards did not notice Dukic struggled and come to his aid have been raised.
An investigation has been launched.
"We had safety personnel on site throughout the events," CrossFit CEO Don Faul says.
"The well-being of competitors is our first priority and we are heartbroken by this tragic event," CrossFit said in a statement.
The games continued Friday.
Dukic's fellow competitors gathered to pay tribute to him. Among them was his brother, who was also competing in the games.
Dukis had participated in the CrossFit Games four years in a row and won the 2024 Europe semifinal.
