A Brazilian fitness influencer has died after she went missing during the swimming leg of a Texas Ironman event.
Mara Flavia Souza Araujo, 38, was reported as a “lost swimmer” on Saturday at the triathlon event in Lake Woodlands near Houston, with local news reporting safety crews were unableto immediately find her.
Divers located her body about 90 minutes afterwards and she was pronounced dead at the scene.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office confirmed Araujo’s identity on Tuesday.
“MCSO can confirm that Mara Flavia Souza Araujo, 38, of Brazil died while competing in the Ironman event in the Woodlands on Saturday,” the sheriff’s department said.
“Preliminary investigations indicate she drowned during the swimming portion of the event.”
Brazilian fitness influencer Mara Flavia Souza Araujo died during an Ironman event in Texas. Photo / Instagram
The event’s organisers expressed their condolences for her in a statement at the weekend.
“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,” they said.
Araujo recently shared an image of her standing on train tracks to her 64,000 Instagram followers, which was captioned, “Enjoy this ride on the bullet train that is life” in Portuguese.
“And even with the speed of the machine blurring the landscape, look out the window – for at any moment, the train will drop you off at the eternal station.”
Since 2018, Araujo had competed in at least nine Ironman events and regularly updated her followers about her training and progress.
