A 38-year-old Brazilian triathlete and influencer, Mara Flávia, has died after disappearing during the swim portion of an Ironman race in Texas.
She went missing early Saturday morning during the open-water swim in Lake Woodlands, the first stage of the 140-mile competition. Emergency calls began shortly after 6 a.m., and officials were alerted to a “lost swimmer” around 7:30 a.m. Flávia had started the race with the women’s swim wave at 6:31 a.m.
Rescue crews recovered her body around 9:30 a.m., about three hours after she vanished. Authorities said she was found roughly 10 feet underwater and was pronounced dead at the scene. The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office confirmed she drowned during the event, and an investigation is ongoing.
Witnesses described panic at the scene as swimmers and volunteers realized something was wrong, with several pointing to the same area where she went under and did not resurface. One volunteer attempted multiple dives in an effort to find her but was unable to bring her up.
Flávia, who had over 60,000 Instagram followers, is being remembered for her dedication to endurance sports and for taking on one of the most demanding athletic challenges.