Last year’s Fittest Man on Earth, Jeff Adler, has withdrawn from the 2024 CrossFit Games.

He joins last year’s Fittest Woman, Laura Horvath, and a host of other athletes to make the decision to pull out of the competition after Lazar Đukić died during the 800-meter swim on Event 1 on Thursday.

In an Instagram post, the 2023 champ wrote:

“There are many ways to grieve, and I respect anyone’s decision going through this impossible situation. I do not feel that taking the floor and competing in this state would do justice in honouring Lazar and his family this weekend. Therefore, I will not be participating at the 2024 CrossFit Games.”

Prior to Adler, a Canadian, it had been mostly European athletes who pulled out of the rest of the competition.

Like the race for the top spot on the women’s podium, which took a drastic turn when Horvath made the decision not to compete, Adler’s withdrawal means the men’s competition will look a whole lot different, too.

But in a packed field, and with contenders like Roman Khrennikov, Pat Vellner, Justin Medeiros, Brent Fikowski, and Ricky Garard still competing at the time of this writing, the men’s podium in Fort Worth, TX, is still very much up for grabs.

Featured image: @nwr_productions/Instagram

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