Brother of Deceased Crossfit Games Athlete Criticizes Org Leaders, Safety

Luka Đukić, the brother of late Serbian CrossFit star Lazar Đukić, posted a heartbreaking account of his brother’s Aug. 8 drowning during the CrossFit Games in Texas, in which he criticized the game's leaders and claimed that his wishes following the tragedy were “not respected.” Lazar drown during the swimming portion of the competition, with his final moments caught on a livestream video.

Following the tragic incident, in which Luka had to identify Lazar’s body via photograph, the athlete went back to his hotel. Ten minutes after arriving there, Luka says he was informed that Dave Castro, the creator and director of CrossFit Games, wanted to meet with him.

“Dave entered the room with [CrossFit Games Chief Brand Officer] Nicole Carroll, sat there for some time, and said, ‘We want to continue the Games as a tribute for your brother,’” Luka wrote on Instagram.

“In a shape [sic] I was in mentally at that moment, I said many things, but [the] most important were, 'I don’t care, nothing will bring him back,' and 'I don't think I am thinking clearly, so this decision should not be up to me.’ Dave replied, ‘It’s not up to you anyways,’” Luka claimed.

“Later,” Luka continued, “the decision to continue the Games was presented as “‘the wish of the family.’”

Luka claimed Castro further disrespected him by allowing the media to photograph him at Lazar’s memorial the following day. “I didn't want any media around me, I didn't want to be around the athletes and I didn't want to be on the screen,” Luka wrote. “As my wish was not respected, after that I didn't have any other conversation with anyone from [CrossFit Games] HQ. I was asked to meet Dave on Saturday night, which I rejected, and I was asked to attend closing ceremony which I rejected, as well.”

Luka continued: “On Friday mid-day, I got a call from the Medical Examiner’s office who told me that the doctor that did the autopsy categorized Lazar’s body shape as ‘extremely fit,’ and that there were no signs of a heart attack.”

Luka seemed to say event organizers and volunteers could have done more to prevent his brother’s tragic death. “What I later saw on the video was that there were no attempts to save Lazar, he was fighting and went down close to two very unequipped volunteers (yes) on the paddleboard who didn't saw [sic] him.”

Luka added: “While I won’t point fingers on this post and try to ruin anyone’s name, I feel obligated with my family to do everything that is legally in my power to ask questions, go deeper into this case, and try to see whose fault [it] is.”

Luka ended the post by paying tribute to Lazar, asking fans to remember him for his accomplishments rather than the circumstances under which he passed. “My brother loved this sport and he was one of the best in the world at it,” Luka said. “He set some unreal achievements starting from the rock bottom, but he was also one of the best people out there with a heart bigger than a mountain. And that is how he should be remembered.”

Representatives for the CrossFit Games, as well as Castro and Carroll, did not immediately respond to requests for comment from Men’s Journal.