During the Men’s +102KG weightlifting event at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Aug. 10, Lasha Talakhadze of Georgia claimed the gold medal. With this achievement, Talakhadze cemented himself as perhaps the greatest weightlifter to ever step on the platform.

Talakhadze scored his third straight Olympic gold in Paris — his first came in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, his second five years later in Tokyo. Talakhadze astounded the imaginations of the spectators in the South Paris Arena, scoring the following lifts:

2024 Olympics Results | Lasha Talakhadze, +102KG

Snatch: 210, 215, 220x

Clean & Jerk: 247, 255

Total: 470

Talakhadze’s snatch miss at 220 was his first-ever unsuccessful lift at an Olympic Games event. He declined his final clean & jerk attempt.

[Tune In: 2024 Olympics Weightlifting Results: Live Updates + Schedule]

[Related: Best Weightlifting Shoes for Olympic Lifting]

Talakhadze holds every world record in the men’s super-heavyweight category and has not lost a weightlifting contest in over a decade. The Georgian giant’s Paris medal caps off a truly illustrious (and impeccable) career in weightlifting

Olympic Games wins: 3 (2016 – 2024)

World Championships wins: 7 (2015 – 2023)*

European Championships wins: 7 (2016 – 2023)*

Whether Talakhadze will retire with an unblemished record is unclear. On Jul. 30, 2024, Georgian Weightlifting Federation President and former weightlifter Kahki Kakhiashvili urged Talakhadze to continue to the next Games in Los Angeles in 2028:

“Should we all be blessed with Lasha’s fourth Olympic gold medal, he would definitely get the title of all-time best,” Kakhiashvili said. “It is my dream for him.”

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Featured Image: @talakhadzelasha_official / Instagram

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IFBB Pro League Wellness athlete Daniela Schulz has died at the age of 30. Schulz and her husband, Hiales Fodra, were killed in a plane crash on Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Vinhedo, Brazil, a town outside of São Paulo. 

According to USA Today, all 61 people on flight 2283 died, including 57 passengers and the four-member flight crew. Multiple reports have confirmed that Schulz and her husband were among the passengers on the flight.

Schulz was traveling within Brazil from Cascavel to Guarulhos, where she was going to change flights and travel to Tupelo, MS, to compete in the 2024 Tupelo Pro, a 2024 Olympia qualifying event scheduled for the weekend of Aug. 16-17. It would have been Schulz’s IFBB Pro League debut.

Schulz was born on March 11, 1994, and represented her home country of Brazil when she competed. She earned her pro card in the Wellness Category B on the weekend of July 6-7, 2024, at the 2024 NPC Mr. Big Evolution Pro Qualifier event in Estoril, Portugal. 

According to NPC News Online, Schulz competed in 2023 at the NPC Worldwide Musclecontest Ribeirao Preto. She placed second in the Novice A category and third in the Open Class C group.

In addition to her competitive career, Schulz was the owner and CEO of Lookfit Moda Fitness, her clothing brand. She was also a sponsored athlete with the supplement brand Dragon Pharma.

Several fellow pros shared condolences and comments on posts about Schulz’s passing. She is the latest of several deaths that have affected the bodybuilding community in 2024, including Men’s Open pros Kristoffer Berner and Doug Fruchey, NPC bodybuilder Daniel Broadhurst, Figure Pro Cintia Goldani, and Kevin Gebhardt.

No details of funeral arrangements were made public at the time of this article’s publication. BarBend will share further information on this developing story as it becomes available.

Featured Image: @daanischulzpro on Instagram 

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Dani Speegle, a well-known figure in the CrossFit community, has announced her decision to withdraw from the ongoing CrossFit Games.

In a heartfelt message shared on her Instagram story, Speegle revealed that she would be stepping down from the competition, citing a complex mix of emotions that influenced her choice.

The athlete expressed that she has “a lot of thoughts and feelings running through my mind and body” at this time.

Although she didn’t elaborate on the specific reasons behind her withdrawal, Speegle assured her followers that a more detailed statement would be provided in the future. For now, she wanted to communicate directly with her fans, acknowledging their support and letting them know about her decision.

The Announcement

In her Instagram post, Dani Speegle conveyed the emotional weight behind her decision to exit the CrossFit Games.

The message was clear but brief, leaving her followers and the broader CrossFit community with more questions than answers. She emphasized that she is experiencing a whirlwind of emotions, which ultimately led her to withdraw from the remainder of the competition.

Speegle was direct in addressing her fans, making it clear that this decision was not taken lightly. While she didn’t delve into the specifics, her words hinted at the personal and emotional challenges she is currently facing.

By choosing to share this news on her social media, Speegle highlighted the importance of transparency with her supporters, even during such a challenging time.

I didn’t know Lazar Đukić. I never met him.

But this week, I cried for him. And I am mourning the loss.

On the morning of Thursday, August 8, the life of 28-year-old CrossFit athlete Lazar Đukić was cut tragically short as he died during the swim portion of the first event of the 2024 CrossFit Games in Marine Creek Lake in Fort Worth, TX. 

Đukić was a son, brother, friend, partner, and more, but most people reading this know him because of his incredible success in our sport. 

Đukić burst onto the scene in 2017, competing in his first CrossFit Open, where he finished as the Fittest Man in Serbia, his home country. 

He participated in the CrossFit Open every year since, first qualifying for the Games in 2019, the year all national champions were invited. He chose not to make the trip to Madison that year. 

Following the 2020 COVID-affected season, Đukić again qualified in 2021, where he finished ninth. He has two career CrossFit Games event wins and eight top-five finishes. 

Finding CrossFit

Đukić was from Novi Sad, Serbia, the second-largest city in the country behind Belgrade, and grew up in nearby Temerin. 

A fellow countryman introduced him to CrossFit while he was abroad in the United States and convinced him to take a break from bodybuilding and try a workout.

That workout was Murph.

Đukić was hooked and immediately wanted to compete. 

The former water polo player started swimming when he was 7 years old after breaking his arm, and a doctor told him that it was the fastest way to recover.

In his athlete interview with Dave Castro this year, Đukić explained why he chose not to compete in the 2019 Games.

Đukić: “I wanted to show up at my first Games and make a statement, and I knew back then I would just spend the money on the trip.”

True to his word, when Đukić showed up to his first CrossFit Games in 2021 in Madison, he took second in the first event and is among only nine men to start his career with three consecutive top-10 CrossFit Games finishes.

Đukić was part of the burgeoning European contingent of CrossFit athletes who have been integral in the explosion of the sport outside of North America. 

He won his Semifinal the last three years and was second in 2021. Many people had him picked as a possible podium finisher in 2024. 

Lazar and Luka

Đukić made the trip to Texas with his younger brother Luka, who had qualified for his second CrossFit Games. Luka was fifth at the Europe Semifinal by French Throwdown.

CrossFit athletes are unique. It’s often said that we are the only sport that cheers the loudest for the last person to finish. 

We are a community that finds the same joy in the success of our fellow competitors as we do in our own.

Lazar found more joy.

After winning the Europe Semifinal this year and earning another ticket to the CrossFit Games, he didn’t speak about his own accomplishments in his post-win interview.

He beamed about his brother, Luka.

Đukić: “To be honest, this doesn’t mean as much as my brother qualifying and us going back together. To me, that’s the biggest impression of this weekend — us going back together, us preparing for the Games together.”

Lazar Đukić epitomized the sport of CrossFit. 

He was a fierce competitor who always had a smile on his face and a sparkle in his eye.

A Community Grieves Together

On the CrossFit Games broadcast, commentator and Games legend Annie Sakamoto mentioned that a Chaplain spoke to athletes and staff on Thursday afternoon. 

“With community, joy is doubled, and with community, grief is divided,” he said.

There is no right or wrong way to deal with grief. 

Many athletes took the first minute of the day’s first event on Friday to honor Đukić. Some withdrew entirely from the competition. Some used the grief to push themselves in their workouts.

There is just grief. There is just moving on. 

But community helps. 

That is the best part of CrossFit — the community.

We look to each other for guidance on how to act, what to do, and how to feel. Perhaps this weekend can give us some small ounce of comfort — seeing these athletes come together and attempt to process on this international stage, an act that they didn’t sign up for when they qualified for the weekend.

We do what we need to do to process. And while we watch others do it as we attempt to do it ourselves, we must have grace. 

Grace for others and grace for ourselves. 

Remember and celebrate Đukić for the incredible athlete he was, but more for the human he was. 

He was kind. Be kind.

The sport was better for having Đukić be a part of it. 

We all knew Lazar Đukić.

Featured image: @bownmedia / Instagram

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Norway hadn’t won an Olympic medal in weightlifting since 1972 (a lone gold) until Solfrid Koanda came calling. Koanda, just 25, was working as an electrician three years prior to the 2024 Olympics. Then she tried her hand at weightlifting.

She ended up being pretty good at it: After being crowned the country’s first-ever World Champion in weightlifting in 2022, Koanda followed it up by winning a gold medal in the Women’s 81-kilogram event at in Paris.

[Tune In: How To Watch Weightlifting at the 2024 Olympics]

“I made a choice between my profession and the Olympic dream a couple of years ago. I chose this,” Koanda said on social media in April.

“I went to train after my work as an electrician every day when I was not using vacation to go to training camps.” Koanda’s determination and courage have paid off in spades.

Solfrid Koanda (81KG) | 2024 Olympics

The electrician-turned-weightlifter faced an uphill battle in Paris. Koanda entered the event as perhaps the most novice athlete in the field; her first international weightlifting meet was in April of 2021 at the European Championships. She placed fifth there.

Once the bar was loaded, Koanda had to contend with multiple previous Olympians from Egypt, Korea, and especially reigning Olympic Champion Neisi Dajomes of Ecuador who would end up winning bronze.

Yet Koanda had all the momentum in the world. Prior to Paris, she had gone undefeated in her six previous international weightlifting meets since early 2022, save for an incomplete “bomb-out” at the World Championships in ’23.

[Related: Best Multivitamins for Women]

Despite stiff competition, Koanda was considered a safe bet for the podium before the Games began. When the final bar fell in the South Paris Arena and the chalk had settled, Koanda walked away with the gold medal.

Snatch: 117, 121, 124x

Clean & Jerk: 148, 154, 162x

Total: 275

Koanda also set new Olympic records in the clean & jerk and Total en route to the top of the podium.

She attempted 162 kilograms for a new world record clean & jerk, but was unsuccessful.

“It was a very bumpy road to Paris, I’ve had some injuries and operations,” Koanda said on Aug. 2. “There are a lot of strong women in my category. Fortunately, I’m one of them.”

More Weightlifting at the 2024 Olympics

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Antonino Pizzolato Wins Controversial Bronze Medal for Italy

Featured Image: @98solfrid / Instagram

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Saturday’s first event at the 2024 CrossFit Games in Fort Worth, TX, started with an even smaller roster than Friday, as Elisa Fuliano and Moritz Fiebig added themselves to the list of athletes to withdraw, saying they just can’t compete after Lazar Đukić’s death on Thursday.

This left 35 women and 32 men performing the hero workout “Chad” — named in honor of Navy SEAL Chad Wilkinson, who took his life on October 29, 2018 — in one big heat at Dickies Arena. 

Everyone was chasing the current leaders Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr and James Sprague.

Individual Event 5: Chad

For time:

1,000 step-ups (35/45 lb)

*Completed as 250 trips

Final Results

[Related: Best Leg Exercises]

Recap

Women’s Division

With 35 women all moving at a similar pace, it took a while for anyone to pull away from the field. By the 23-minute mark, though, it was Canada’s Emily Rolfe and Poland’s Gabi Migala leading the way.

At 28 minutes, Migala and Rolfe were still leading the pack, with Haley Adams, who entered the day in second overall, right behind.

Migala, Rolfe, and Adams held their positions until the end, with Rolfe edging Migala out by 14 seconds and earning the fourth event win of her career.

Adams finished 31 seconds after that and settled in third place. 

[Related: Best Bodyweight Exercises]

The event win helped Rolfe pass Adams on the overall leaderboard. She sits in second overall, behind only Tia-Clair Toomey-Orr. Adams dropped to third but is just six points behind Rolfe.

Meanwhile, thanks to her fourth-place finish, the rookie from the UK, Aimee Cringle, who has had an incredible competition so far, continued to solidify her position in the top 10. She sits in sixth.

Worth noting: Heavy podium contender Emma Lawson sat lower than expected in 14th after Friday and needed a big performance to move into the top 10. But she wasn’t able to put it together, finishing 26th in the event. She sits in 17th overall.

Men’s Division

Similar to the women, the men moved together at a similar speed for the first half of the event. 

By the 22-minute mark, rookie Austin Hatfield led the way thanks to his fast descents, where he let gravity help him drop off the boxes, rather than the slower step-down approach the other athletes were taking. 

Thirty-one minutes in, Hatfield still led the men, with overall winner James Sprague behind him in second. Pat Vellner, who entered the day in seventh overall, was in third.

Towards the end of the event, though, Sprague picked up his pace, closing the gap with Hatfield, ultimately doing just enough to edge him out by 11 seconds. Sprague was the first athlete, male or female, to finish “Chad.”

The next two men to finish, Khrennikov in third and Vellner in fourth, were more than two minutes behind both Sprague and Hatfield. 

These finishes helped Khrennikov stay in second overall, and let Vellner continue his climb up the overall leaderboard. He now sits in fourth overall, just 20 points away from the podium.

Fikowski, too, put up another consistent performance, finishing sixth in the event, keeping him in the top three overall with two events to go on Saturday. 

Worth noting: Podium contender Ricky Garard — who finished Friday with an event win and was sixth overall heading into “Chad” — was visibly struggling by the 33-minute mark. His steps looked labored and slow, and his legs almost appeared to buckle as he stepped down from each box. He managed to pull it together and finished 17th in the damage control event for him.

Further, two-time Games champion Justin Medeiros came into the day in 17th. He finished 12th, helping him move up a few spots on the leaderboard into 13th, as he inches his way closer to the top 10.

Up Next 

Saturday’s next event, Individual Event 6: Clean Ladder, kicks off at 12:55 pm CT.

The event consists of three rounds, and athletes will perform progressively heavier cleans on a descending rep scheme each round. 

As originally programmed, all athletes would compete in the first round, with the top 20 advancing to the second round, and the top 10 to the final round, where the heaviest barbell will be 365 pounds for the men and 250 pounds for the women. Any changes to this format were unknown at the time of publication.

2024 CrossFit Games Event Recaps

Event 4 “Track and Field” Results: Dominance From Down Under

Event 3 “Firestorm” Results: Fast Fitness and a Friendly Rivalry

Event 2 “Midline Climb” Results: Restrained and Respectful, Athletes Return to the Competition

Credit: Susana Rodriguez, @ideyafilms_ / Instagram

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The 2024 Olympics in Paris, France, have finally arrived. For the athletes competing in the Men’s +102KG weightlifting super-heavyweight division at 2:30 p.m. Eastern Standard Time on August 10, it’s been a long and hard-fought battle — and more than a few unexpected moments.

[Related: The Best Weightlifting Shoes on the Market]

BarBend will update this page as the event progresses, including podium results and a play-by-play of the competition from start to finish. Stay tuned!

2024 Olympics Results: Men’s +102KG Weightlifting

Since winning his first Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Georgian weightlifter Lasha Talakhadze has presided over the super-heavyweight division of Men’s weightlifting with an impeccable and undefeated record.

Though Talakhadze, the all-time undisputed strongest weightlifter in history, had his Paris ticket booked from the beginning, several have emerged since 2021 to challenge his reign.

Lasha Talakhadze (GEO): 474

Gor Minasyan (BRN): 464

Varazdat Lalayan (ARM): 463

Ali Davoudi (IRI): 454

Man Asaad (SYR): 445

Mohamed Elsayed (EGY): 433

Ali Rubaiawi (IRQ): 427

Walid Bidani (ALG): 426

Eishiro Murakami (JPN): 421

David Liti (NZL): 413, Continental

Kamil Kucera (CZE): 411, Reallocation

Mart Seim (EST): 410, Reallocation

[Related: Best Lifting Straps for Weightlifting]

2024 Olympics Results: Men’s +102KG Weightlifting

Gold:

Silver:

Bronze:

Event Recap — Snatch

Event Recap — Clean & Jerk

[Related: Best Pre-Workout Supplements for Weightlifting]

2024 Olympics Weightlifting Schedule

Weightlifting events will be held at the 2024 Olympics from Aug. 7 to Aug. 11, 2024, in Paris, France. Catch all the action live by referring to the full schedule below. All times are in Eastern Standard Time and are subject to change:

Wednesday, August 7

9:00 AM: Men’s 61KG

1:30 PM: Women’s 49KG

Thursday, August 8

9:00 AM: Women’s 59KG

1:30 PM: Men’s 73KG

Friday, August 9

9:00 AM: Men’s 89KG

1:30 PM: Women’s 71KG

Saturday, August 10

5:30 AM: Men’s 102KG

10:00 AM: Women’s 81KG

2:30 PM: Men’s +102KG

Sunday, August 11

5:30 AM: Women’s +81KG

More 2024 Olympics Content on BarBend

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Featured Image: @atiani_10 / Instagram

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August 10, 2024 – Dickies Arena, Fort Worth, Texas: Day 3 of the CrossFit competition promises an intense display of strength, endurance, and strategy as athletes prepare for three grueling workouts: Chad, the Clean Ladder, and Push Pull 2.0.

The stakes are high, with each workout playing a critical role in determining who advances to the final rounds.

Workout 5: Chad

The day kicks off at 10:00 am with Workout 5: Chad, a test of sheer endurance and mental toughness. Athletes face 1,000 step-ups, each carrying a 35-pound weight for women and a 45-pound weight for men.

These step-ups are broken down into 250 trips, requiring both physical strength and careful pacing.

This workout, lasting until 11:15 am, is a true test of grit. Athletes need to manage their energy and focus to complete the high volume of repetitions.

The outcome of this workout will likely have a significant impact on the leaderboard, as those who excel in endurance could make major gains in their standings.

Workout 6: Clean Ladder

At 1:55 pm, the competition heats up with Workout 6: Clean Ladder. This event is a three-round ladder where athletes lift progressively heavier weights in a sequence of cleans. The structure is as follows:

Round 1: 3-3-2-2-1 cleans, with weights ranging from 165 to 205 lb for women and 255 to 295 lb for men.

Round 2: 2-1-1-1 cleans, with weights increasing to 205 to 230 lb for women and 295 to 325 lb for men.

Round 3: 1-1-1 cleans, with the final challenge seeing athletes attempt 230 to 250 lb for women and 325 to 365 lb for men.

This workout, ending at 3:55 pm, will test athletes’ power and technical skill. The Clean Ladder is notorious for shaking up the standings as it pushes competitors to their limits, forcing them to perform under pressure with little room for error.

The heaviest lifts will likely come down to the wire, with every rep potentially altering the day’s leaderboard.

Workout 7: Push Pull 2.0

The final event of the day, Workout 7: Push Pull 2.0, begins at 6:10 pm and concludes at 8:25 pm. This workout is expected to challenge athletes with a combination of pushing and pulling movements that test both upper and lower body strength.

While specific details of this workout are yet to be revealed, the format suggests a high-intensity challenge that will require a blend of strength, endurance, and strategy.

As the last event of the day, Push Pull 2.0 is likely to be a decisive factor in setting up the competition for the final day. Athletes will need to dig deep to maintain their rankings or climb higher in the standings. The anticipation is high as fans and competitors alike await the results.

Updated Cut Schedule: A Last-Minute Change Saves 10 Athletes

In a surprising last-minute update, the CrossFit Games organizers have announced a significant change to the cut schedule for Saturday’s events. Originally, the plan was to reduce the field of competitors from 30 down to 20 by the end of today’s competition. However, this has now been altered, allowing the top 30 men and women to continue into Sunday’s events.

This decision, communicated through an official notice from CrossFit Games Support, means that the anticipated cuts beyond 30 will no longer take place.

The revised plan ensures that more athletes will have a chance to compete on the final day, increasing the intensity and excitement as they vie for a top spot in the standings.

Current Top Ten for Men

Here is the list of the top ten men with their overall points:

James Sprague – 346 points

Roman Khrennikov – 337 points

Brent Fikowski – 322 points

Jayson Hopper – 310 points

Jelle Hoste – 304 points

Ricky Garard – 301 points

Patrick Vellner – 296 points

Jay Crouch – 289 points

Dallin Pepper – 286 points

Samuel Kwant – 282 points

Current Top Ten for Women

Here is the list of the top ten women with their overall points:

Tia-Clair Toomey – 382 points

Haley Adams – 352 points

Emily Rolfe – 352 points

Bethany Flores – 340 points

Gabriela Migała – 334 points

Aimee Cringle – 280 points

Paige Semenza – 271 points

Grace Walton – 270 points

Madeline Sturt – 268 points

Danielle Brandon – 252 points

Looking Ahead

As Day 3 of the CrossFit competition at Dickies Arena unfolds, each workout serves as a crucial stepping stone toward the championship.

Athletes must bring their best to every event, knowing that any misstep could cost them a spot in the final rounds. With the competition heating up, all eyes are on who will rise to the top and who will falter under the pressure.

At the 2024 Olympics, Team China entered more weightlifters than any other country; three men and three women, the maximum team size. As of Saturday Aug. 10, China is four-for-five in weightlifting gold medals.

Liu Huanhua added a new medal to the pile when he won the Men’s 102-kilogram event in the South Paris Arena, capping off a triumphant two-year campaign for the first-time Olympian.

[Related: The Best Weightlifting Shoes for Beginners]

Liu outperformed not one, but two previous Olympic Champions to secure his place at the top of the podium. Fares Ibrahim “Meso Hassona” El-Bakh from Qatar, and Uzbekistan’s Akbar Djuraev, who migrated from the 96s and 109s, respectively.

Liu Huanhua at the 2024 Olympics

Liu sat comfortably atop the International Weightlifting Federation‘s (IWF) 102-kilogram ranking leaderboard when the qualification period closed in late spring. However, he had spent the first half of the quad bouncing across several different weight classes, from 89 to 96, before finally bulking up for the heavyweights.

Liu Huanhua | Men’s 102-Kilogram

Snatch: 178, 183, 186

Clean & Jerk: 220, 228x, 233x

Total: 406

Liu matched the Olympic record on his final snatch at 186 kilograms; he needed one more kilogram to claim it.

During the clean & jerks, Team China gave Uzbekistan’s Djuraev an opportunity to claim gold by jumping from a 228-kilogram miss to 233, which allowed Djuraev to appear first and try 232.

Djuraev and Liu both missed their final attempts; Liu finished two kilos ahead of Djuraev, who beat bronze medalist Yauheni Tsikhantsou by two as well.

Liu also achieved something historic for China, a country who have run the table at the Games more than any other country in the 21st century.

At the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, Team China won as many weightlifting gold medals as all other participating countries combined.

Yet China had never once won Olympic gold in men’s heavyweight weightlifting at the Olympics. That is, until Liu “Gigachad” Huanhua came along.

[Related: The Beginner’s Guide to Olympic Lifting]

More Weightlifting at the 2024 Olympics

Why Can’t North Korean Weightlifters Compete at the 2024 Olympics?

2024 Olympics Predictions From a 2020 Olympian

Is Mihaela Cambei the World’s Next Weightlifting Superstar?

Featured Image: @the.powerinstitute / Instagram

The post Liu Huanhua Wins Historic Weightlifting Gold for China at 2024 Olympics appeared first on BarBend.

The 2024 CrossFit Games have been overshadowed by a series of unexpected athlete withdrawals, with many competitors stepping away from the competition after the tragic death of fellow athlete Lazar Dukic.

This brings the total number of withdrawals to nine, highlighting the profound emotional and psychological impact the event has had on the participants.

The athletes who are no longer competing at the 2024 CrossFit Games are:

Luka Dukic

Jeff Adler

Laura Horvath

Karin Freyova

Emma Tall

Elisa Fuliano

Victoria Campos

Sam Cournoyer

Guilherme Malheiros *

Among those who have exited the Games are some of the sport’s top competitors, including Swedish athlete Emma Tall, Italian competitor Elisa Fuliano, and Canadian Sam Cournoyer.

The emotional toll of Dukic’s death, coupled with various personal reasons, has led these athletes to prioritize their mental health and well-being over continuing in the competition.

Emma Tall

Emma Tall was ranked 3rd overall after completing the second event of the day, making her withdrawal particularly surprising.

Without any prior indication of injury or distress, Tall chose not to participate in the subsequent events.

Later, she released a brief statement on her social media, explaining her decision to withdraw but leaving the door open to share more of her thoughts at a later time.

Elisa Fuliano

Elisa Fuliano, on the other hand, was more forthcoming about her reasons. In a heartfelt and detailed social media post, she described a panic attack during one of the water-based events and her struggle to cope with the overwhelming emotions following Dukic’s death.

Fuliano expressed her disappointment in how the situation was managed by CrossFit and her ultimate decision to step away from the Games.

Sam Cournoyer

Sam Cournoyer’s decision was influenced not only by the emotional impact of the tragedy but also by his ongoing battle with a bacterial infection.

Cournoyer had been dealing with listeria, which he contracted just days before the Games began.

Despite pushing through the initial events, the combination of illness and grief led him to conclude that continuing was not in his best interest.

* Guilherme Malheiros

Two other athletes, Victoria Campos and Guilherme Malheiros, have also likely ended their participation, though neither has made an official statement.

Both Brazilians did not appear for their respective events on Friday, with Malheiros visibly emotional during his last appearance.

Given his close friendship with Dukic, his absence from the competition floor speaks volumes about the toll this tragedy has taken on him.

The CrossFit community has reacted with a mix of support and concern, with many calling for empathy toward the athletes and understanding of the difficult choices they have made.

However, there has also been criticism directed at CrossFit’s handling of the situation, with some questioning the organization’s preparedness for such an unforeseen event.

As the 2024 CrossFit Games continue, the focus now shifts not only to the competition itself but also to the broader implications of these withdrawals.

The decisions made by Tall, Fuliano, Cournoyer, and others may signal a shift in how athletes and organizations approach mental health, safety, and the pressures of elite competition.