An athlete drowned during a swimming event at a CrossFit competition in Texas on Thursday, the organization said, writes ABC NEWS.
The death occurred on the first day of the CrossFit Games, being held in Fort Worth through Sunday. The events have been canceled for the rest of the day, CrossFit said. CrossFit CEO Don Faul said during a press briefing he is “gutted” by the death of the athlete, whose name has not been released: “We’ll continue to be focused on our community and the family through this tragic set of circumstances”.
The incident occurred Thursday morning in Marine Creek Lake. The Fort Worth Fire Department responded around 8 a.m. local time to a call regarding a CrossFit Games participant who went missing in the water, authorities said.
First responders used dive teams and a drone to find the person, who was recovered from the water about an hour after the dive team response, authorities said. The body of the athlete has been transferred to the Tarrant County Medical Examiner and the name will be released pending family notification, police said.
The death occurred during an individual event that included a 3.5-mile run and 800-meter swim, according to the CrossFit schedule.