The athlete from Serbia, Lazar Đukić, died while participating in the swimming race at the Crossfit Games in Texas, USA, the organizers announced.
The 28-year-old was competing at Marine Creek Lake near Fort Worth on Thursday morning when suddenly disappeared under water and failed to resurface, Fort Worth EMS officials said.
Emergency services were called around eight o'clock local time, and the body was found about an hour later.
"We are horrified by the departure of Lazar Đukić. Our hearts are with Lazar's entire family, friends and fellow athletes," the organizers announced.
All competitions at the Crossfit Games have been suspended.
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Dukić suddenly stopped before the finish line, started waving his arms, disappeared under the water, resurfaced, and then just sank.
A Fort Worth police dive team, as well as drones, participated in the search for Dukic's body, CBS News reported, citing local officials.
CrossFit CEO Don Faul said Dukic was a "loved and respected" member of the fitness community.
"This has affected all of us. We will do everything we can to support his family," he added.
He also says that there was a "fully documented security plan" and that race security was on site throughout the event.
An online campaign was immediately organized to help the family of Lazar Dukić and more than 211.000 dollars have already been collected.
The page states that Dukić made his debut at the Crossfit Games in 2021 after playing water polo for years in his native Serbia.
"Known for his kindness, humor and as someone who always wants to help, Lazar brought a breath of fresh air wherever he went," according to the announcement of the competition organizers.
On the Crossfit website, it is written that Dukić was the first crossfit athlete in Serbia between 2017 and 2021, and this year he was the third in the country.
The Crossfit Games are an annual competition in which athletes participate in numerous disciplines, and often only shortly before they are to compete do they find out what each stage will entail.
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