The sister of Brazilian fitness influencer Mara Flávia, who died at the age of 38 after drowning during an Ironman event in Texas, has issued an emotional public tribute following the tragedy.
Flávia died during Saturday’s race after she went missing in the water during the swim segment of the demanding triathlon.
On the day of the competition, Ironman Texas confirmed on social media that a participant had died.
“We are saddened to confirm the death of a race participant during the swim portion of today’s IRONMAN Texas triathlon,” it wrote online.
“We send our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of the athlete and will offer them our support as they go through this very difficult time. Our gratitude goes out to the first responders for their assistance.”
According to PEOPLE, Mara vanished beneath the surface shortly after the swim portion began.
Fellow competitors and lifeguards reportedly attempted to locate and assist her, but a dive team later recovered her body at around 9am local time from Woodlands Lake in Northshore Park.
Two days later, her sister Melissa shared a statement online as she mourned her loss.
“You lived life intensely. You were always synonymous with determination, with courage — with a strength that seemed too vast to be contained within you,” she wrote in the caption of an Instagram post. “You never did anything halfway; perhaps that is why you left such a profound mark on the lives of everyone who crossed your path.”
Calling Mara her “other half,” Melissa added: “A piece of me is gone, and I will have to learn to live without it. And it hurts in a way I cannot even explain. It is a strange silence, a void I knew existed all along — as if the world itself had lost a little of its color.”
“We were always a team, and we still are — just in a different way now. Somehow, I know you will still be with me: in my decisions, in my courage whenever my strength falters, and in those little daily moments that only the two of us truly understood,” she continued. “I will carry you with me in everything I do. Rest now, my sister. It will hurt down here, but I will honor your life every single day.”
An investigation into Mara’s death is ongoing. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office posted an update on Facebook on April 18 outlining what had been reported to authorities.
“The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office can confirm that a participant in today’s Ironman Triathlon in the Woodlands has drowned while participating in the swim portion of the event,” the statement read.
“The Woodlands Fire Department completed the rescue in Lake Woodlands near North Shore Park. Once it was determined the participant was deceased, The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office began their investigation into this drowning per normal protocols.”
“MCSO Major Crimes detectives are on scene and will continue their investigation,” it added.
Ironman has been contacted for comment.
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