How Pat Vellner Helped Lazar Dukic Get Richer at the CrossFit Games

Canadians are famous for being nice and Pat Vellner is not an exception to the rule. The 2^nd Fittest Man on Earth helped Lazar Dukic get $12,000 richer during the CrossFit Games by simply being a good guy.

A week before the CrossFit Games started, Reebok announced a bonus program for athletes competing in Madison. In case an athlete comes in 1^st or 2^nd at any event wearing one of three Reebok shoes, the company would pay up to $10,000.

Serbian athlete Lazar Dukic won event 10 and came in 2^nd on the following event and will take home $12,000. However, he only managed to be eligible for Reebok’s prize bonus program thanks to Pat Vellner. Dukic explained in his Instagram stories.

“After day 2 of the CFG, I came up to Patrick Vellner and asked if he can hook me up with some Reebok shoes because I’m gonna win the Event 10,” Dukic wrote. “Morning of the Day 3 a guy from Reebok comes to my hotel and gives me new Nanos and Running shoes. The next thing you know, I take Event 10 and place 2^nd on Event 11. Good guy uncle Pat!”

Source: IG stories

Pat shared his answer on his own Instagram Stories. “Friends don’t let friend miss out on bonus,” the 2^nd Fittest Man on Earth wrote. Pat Vellner is a Reebok athlete himself.

Lazar Dukic’s Awesome Day 3 at the CrossFit Games

Coming into day 3, Lazar Dukic was not among the top 10 in the leaderboard. That changed a few hours later.

Event 10 was a couplet with athletes performing 30 toes-to-bar and running 1.5 miles three times. Lazar Dukic passed ahead of Bayden Brown at the last set of toes-to-bar and race to the finish.

“My brother is actually much better runner than I am, so I thought he’s gonna win that one, but he had some issues with his back and I just gave everything and had luck to pace it really good in the first round of run,” Dukic explained.

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A post shared by Lazar Đukić (@lazadjukic)

Event 11 was an 11-minute AMRAP of pegboard, single-arm dumbbell overhead squats, and heavy double-unders. Dukic came in 2^nd right after Cole Sager.

Congratulations to Lazar Dukic for winning Event 10 and finishing 2^nd in Event 11, but it is great to see athletes helping each other in the competition any way they can.