FORT WORTH, Texas — Cole Learn, a CrossFit athlete from Ontario, Canada, said he witnessed a fellow athlete's drowning Thursday morning at a lake in Fort Worth.
"Absolutely devastated," Learn said. "Not sure what to think, and almost in denial."
Lazar Ðukić, 28, of Serbia, was identified as the athlete who died, according to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner's Office.
The incident happened Thursday morning in the opening competition of the CrossFit Games, which are being held in Fort Worth for the first time. Athletes were competing in a run-swim event at Marine Creek Lake, on the northwest side of the city, when one of the athletes died, officials said.
Learn - who spoke with WFAA outside of Dickies Arena, where the main event of the games is scheduled - said he witnessed the moments Dukic went under the water during the swimming event.
"I saw him sort of start to scramble. He started doing small turns and he was trying to get his head out of the water," Learn said. "It was at that time we started screaming to the lifeguard [that] he needed help and in a few seconds he was under. He never came back up."
“I think the CrossFit community needs to lean on each other right now," Learn said. "I’m not too sure where the CrossFit games are going to go from here, but they are going to have to make some drastic measurements to make sure this never happens again."
Samantha Brown, who traveled from North Carolina to watch the CrossFit Games, said the CrossFit community is close, and a drowning happening at one of their events is shocking.
"It's awful, especially since it's not something that we would ever expect to happen and would imagine happening," Brown said. "We are all athletes here and something like this is heartbreaking."
Fort Worth Councilmember Carlos Flores released a statement saying in part:
"As the City Council representative of District 2, where Marine Creek Lake is located, I want to express my deepest condolences to Mr. Đukić's family and loved ones. Any loss of life is always tragic and traumatic, and our hearts go out to those affected during this difficult time. Mr. Đukić was a remarkable individual, known for his achievements as a four-time CrossFit Games athlete."
Former CEO of CrossFit Dave Castro expressed his condolences to Đukić’s family in a video online.
“It’s been an incredibly difficult day with the incident today with Lazar, and I’m mourning just like our community is. Just like the family is. And trying to focus on what we can do for them and how we can make it better with what we’re able to do with this small thing we have,” Castro said.
A GoFundMe has been started to support Đukić's family.