Add 2023 CrossFit Games champion Laura Horvath to the list of athletes who have chosen to withdraw from this year’s competition in the aftermath of the tragic death of Lazar Đukić during Event 1 on Thursday.

The major storyline in the women’s division this year was Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr vs. Horvath, but following yesterday’s events, the situation has changed dramatically.

In a post shared on Instagram, Horvath, her brother Kristof Horvath, and Jamie and Elliot Simmonds wrote:

“We have decided that for us, continuing to compete in the 2024 Crossfit Games does not honour Lazar in the way we wish.”  

Worth noting: While every athlete has been affected by Đukić’s death, the European athletes have been the most vocal in their public statements.

Slovakia’s Karin Frey, who also withdrew, posted on Instagram on Friday morning: “I am very disappointed with the way the CrossFit Games organization behaved towards the athletes. Not only did they neglect safety, but they also disrespected one of us and continued with the competition.”

She continued: “I’m disappointed in the CrossFit community when they don’t stick together in these difficult times. I also trained hard because of this one weekend, but my pain from losing Lazar is stronger than my ego or power of money.”

Norway’s Jacqueline Dahlstrøm also wrote a vocal post, saying: “How. How could we allow for something like this to happen? Is the question that I keep asking myself. We all entered the water thinking and trusting that we were safe. That if something were to happen with any of us there would be help. We are still waiting for further confirmation on what actually happened, but for now I just can’t help but feel like this was not the case.”

The big picture: The decision to compete or not has, understandably, become a polarizing one amongst this year’s athletes. And as Dahlstrøm said, the decision isn’t an easy one. 

“Mentally and emotionally I am not fit to compete. However, do I best show my respect and honor Lazar and his family by stepping on that competition floor or do I show it by not stepping on the floor? I don’t know,” Dahlstrøm wrote on Instagram.

Similarly, Brent Fikowski, who has chosen to compete, provided some perspective about what the athletes are going through in his post on Instagram Friday, saying: “I’ll continue to compete this weekend at the CrossFit Games…His memory is hanging over all the athletes and we’re all dealing with this in different ways. I hope that how we all choose to deal with this won’t drive any of us apart.” 

Credit: @j_tega_ / Instagram

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