CrossFit Athlete Lazar Dukic Dies at 28 During Swimming Race

“Today is the saddest day in the history of @CrossFit,” the group wrote in another message on X August 8. “We are devastated by the loss of Lazar Dukic, as is the entire CrossFit community.”

The message continued: “Lazar was one of the most talented competitors in our sport, but he was much more than an athlete. He was a son, a brother and a friend to virtually everyone who knew him. Fiercely competitive, incurably joyful and unusually kind, Lazar was the sunshine of every room he was in. The loss of his light is unthinkable.”

Dukic’s younger brother, CrossFit Games teammate Luca DukicHe also shared a tribute to the late athlete.

“You loved the sport that didn’t love you back,” she wrote on her Instagram Stories, including a photo of the event at the stadium dedicated to Lazar. “No tribute will ever bring you back to me. This is something that could have been avoided and there is no way to avoid it.”

And he continued, “My brother, you have touched more lives than you can imagine, and you will live forever.”