“It’s a nightmare, and it’s completely shocking,” Maggie said following the shocking news. “But I think just feeling her spirit here — it’s amazing. And I hope that we can make her proud every single day.”
The Paris Olympics began in tragedy for U.S. Water Polo team captain, Maggie Steffen and her family.
Steffen’s sister-in-law Lulu Conner died July 23 after traveling to Paris for the Games, Steffen confirmed in a statement to the Associated Press. Lulu was just 26-years-old.
According to the outlet, Steffen, who married Lulu’s brother Bobby Conner in November — shared that she and her family are still determining exactly what happened, but that she described the situation as “a medical emergency.”
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“She was so excited for the Olympic Games,” Maggie told the AP of Lulu. “We’re really close. She’s the light of the world. She just brings so much joy to everyone. She always brings people together.”
Steffen, who is participating in her fourth Olympics said that refocusing her energy into the Games, turning to a her team as a source of comfort in in the wake of the Lulu’s sudden and shocking passing.
“It definitely helps to play,” the 31-year-old, who is aiming to bring home a fourth Gold medal, told the outlet. “I’m like so out of body in a way right now. And I just keep trying to remind myself what Lulu would want and how she would be, you know, how can I embody her spirit the best. And Lulu was somebody that she gave 150% to everything she did.”
Steffen, who scored her 58th Olympic goal in her game July 27, making her the highest scoring woman in Olympic history, paid tribute to Lulu during Opening Ceremony Friday, dropping a bouquet of flowers into the River Seine in Lulu’s honor from Team USA’s boat.
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“It’s going to be a really hard couple weeks for all of us,” she admitted to the AP. “My team has been a really big support system for me. I’ve been obviously really struggling, and my husband as well, and his entire family. It’s a nightmare, and it’s completely shocking.”
She continued, “But I think just feeling her spirit here — its amazing. And I hope that we can make her proud every single day.”
In addition to her teammates, Steffen’s has the support of head coach Adam Krikorian, who knows her grief all too well, as his own brother died shortly before the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro.
“You just show her love and support,” Krikorian told the outlet. “You know it’s important that she’s there for Bobby and his family as well. This is a difficult time for them, and give her some freedom to be able to spend some time with them I think is enormously important.”
