The Thrill of Victory, the Agony of Death, and Jesus at the CrossFit Game

By Paula Bolyard 

 

The CrossFit community was horrified to learn early Thursday morning that Lazar Dukic, 28, one of the most popular and successful athletes to compete in the CrossFit Games, tragically died during a swimming competition on opening day. 

The details are unclear at this point. Dukic, a former competitive polo player, appeared to struggle 100 meters from the finish line. Individuals on paddleboards (it’s not clear whether they were trained in water rescue) apparently didn’t notice the Serbian athlete flailing in the water, and it wasn’t until someone realized he hadn’t crossed the finish line that a search commenced. His body was pulled from the water, which sent shockwaves through the CrossFit world, particularly among the athletes, many of whom knew Lazar and trained with him.

Despite vocal calls to cancel the competition to name the Fittest Man and Fittest Woman on Earth, event planners allowed athletes to vote on whether to continue. According to Dave Castro, they voted by a margin of 80% to continue. Many have singled out Castro, the GM of CrossFit, for not ensuring that athletes were kept safe during the competition. That may well be true, but we won’t know for sure what happened until an autopsy is completed and a cause of death is made public. I’m not here to speculate about or debate the circumstances that led to his death.

Friday’s Games began with a heartbreaking tribute to Lazar, as the athletes, dressed in black, stood in formation for a moment of silence for their fallen comrade. It was gutwrenching to see Lazar’s brother Luka and his girlfriend Anja Pantovic grieving and to witness all the tough-as-nails male CrossFitters sobbing over the loss of their friend.

Several top athletes decided not to compete this weekend, including last year’s CrossFit Games winners Laura Horvath and Jeffrey Adler. Others waited a full minute before beginning various competitions, essentially giving themselves a one-minute penalty to honor Dukic. Many athletes wore shirts emblazoned with Lazar’s name.

Throughout the weekend, commentators stressed how everyone deals with grief differently and how there’s no right way to get through something of this magnitude. A lot of people on social media are dealing with it by rage-posting on the Instagram feeds of athletes who decided to compete in the wake of Lazar’s death. Haters aside, the CrossFit community is one of the reasons people work out at their local affiliates, and that camaraderie carries through to regional and national competitions. This is a heartbroken community, but one that supports and cares for one another through the best and worst of times…

READ FULL ARTICLE HERE… (pjmedia.com)

 

---

Home | Caravan to Midnight (zutalk.com)

We Need Your Help To Keep Caravan To Midnight Going,

Please Consider Donating To Help Keep Independent Media Independent