THE WOODLANDS, Texas — A 38-year-old Brazilian influencer died on Saturday after drowning during the swim portion of the IRONMAN Texas triathlon at Lake Woodlands, authorities and event officials said.
The Montgomery County Medical Examiner identified the athlete as Mara Flávia Araujo. Her partner confirmed her identity to KHOU 11.
Race organizers said the professional women’s swim segment of the IRONMAN Texas event began at about 6:31 a.m. on Saturday. The Woodlands Fire Department received a report of a possible missing swimmer at about 7:30 a.m., according to Fire Chief information cited by Chron.
Emergency crews recovered Araujo from Lake Woodlands at about 9:30 a.m. and pronounced her dead at the scene.
The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office opened a death investigation, which officials said is standard procedure in drowning cases.
Araujo was a fitness influencer with more than 61,000 followers on Instagram, where she posted content related to training and participation in endurance events, including previous IRONMAN races.
IRONMAN Texas said it would not provide further comment out of respect for the athlete and her family.
A volunteer at the event said in a social media post that participants and bystanders attempted to assist during the incident.
Race participants and spectators posted tributes online following news of the death.
