Lazar Đukić drowned during the first event, Lake Day, at the 2024 CrossFit Games. Since that day a little over four months ago, CrossFit initiated a third-party investigation to better understand what happened that day. At the same time, the Tarrant County Medical Examiner conducted an autopsy in which the cause of death was determined to be a ‘drowning’ with a manner of death as an ‘accident’.
A toxicology lab report and autopsy report were completed on August 22, 2024, and November 7, 2024, respectively.
Pursuant to Texas’ Public Information Act, The Barbell Spin requested both reports and have received them from the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office.
Toxicological Analysis
The toxicological analysis was negative and postmortem vitreous electrolytes showed no abnormalities of glucose and postmortem changes of VUN (vitreous urea nitrogen), sodium, potassium, and chloride.
Autopsy Findings
Air and Water Temperature
The autopsy reveals that the ambient temperature on August 8 was 93-degrees Fahrenheit. The water temperature of Marine Creek Lake was measured at 85-degrees Fahrenheit.
Observations
The autopsy points to numerous observations consistent with drowning, as expected. Mild pulmonary congestion and edema, watery fluid in the stomach and a hemorrhage found on the right sternothyroid muscle are all associated with a drowning.
The medical examiner also observed an enlarged heart (cardiomegaly) with left ventricular hypertrophy (the thickening of the left ventricle of the heart) consistent with cardiac changes in athletes. It is almost more commonly referred to as Athlete’s Heart.
The autopsy reported Lazar’s left ventricular free wall thickness to be 1.8 centimeters. This is considered within range for Athlete’s Heart, but above an average thickness of 1.1 to 1.3 centimeters for non-athletes.
A microscopic examination did not find any fibrosis or erythema within the heart nor was any plaque build-up found in his arteries.
