Lazar Dukic, an athlete who passed away during the 2024 CrossFit Games, has received various tributes, always remembered as a 'good guy' with great charisma, but Patrick Vellner’s anecdote about the Serbian is undoubtedly special.

It was through an Instagram post that the Canadian athlete, who has competed in the Games nine times, recalled Dukic with a story where Dukic asked him for a pair of sneakers to win a bonus during the 2021 competition, the first year the Serbian participated.

At that time, Lazar didn’t have a sponsor and was free to wear any brand he wanted. However, Reebok was offering a $10,000 prize if you won an event wearing their shoes, and Dukic was aiming for that bonus.

'That was the year Reebok offered the shoe prize,' Vellner says in his video, wearing a Dukic T-shirt. 'If you won an event wearing their shoes, it was a big prize.'

'He comes running over to me and says, "Vellner, I need you to get me a pair of shoes,"' Vellner recalls. 'The next day, we were doing a workout with toes-to-bar, which is a great workout for Lazar. And he says, "I’m going to win the first workout tomorrow, and I want to get this bonus."'

The Canadian said he asked Dukic how sure he was that he was going to win, and Dukic replied, 'I’m pretty sure.' Vellner told Dukic he would call someone to get him shoes for the next morning. He called his representative at Reebok and got an extra pair of shoes.

'I showed up the next day in the warm-up area with them,' Vellner says. 'I asked if he wanted to break them in, and he said, "No, they’ll be fine." He just laced them up and won the event.'

Patrick narrates that he finished 11th or 12th in the event, and Dukic confidently approached him, saying, 'Thanks for the shoes.'

'He was so excited that it was really fun to see his face at the finish line. I gave him a hard time before the race, saying, "You’d better win, man. I busted my back to get you these shoes."'

Dukic would finish ninth overall that year, and Vellner second. Three years later, the CrossFit Games would experience the most tragic moment in its history with the death of the Serbian athlete.

What happened to Lazar Dukic at the 2024 CrossFit Games?

During Event 1 of the 2024 CrossFit Games, the Serbian athlete disappeared in the final stretch of the swim, about 100 meters from the finish line. Later, the competition’s organizers announced that he had passed away.

'CrossFit is deeply saddened by the death of one of the competitors in the 2024 CrossFit Games.'

The statement also notes that the organization is working closely with authorities: 'We are working in full cooperation with the authorities and doing everything we can to support the family during this difficult time.'

Several attendees reported seeing Dukic struggling in the water. During the live broadcast of the CrossFit Games, it was also noticeable from a distance that the Serbian athlete was having some difficulties staying above water.