Sister of tragic influencer speaks out after she died in horror accident at 38

Mara Flávia Araújo, who had more than 60,000 followers on Instagram and was known for sharing fitness content, drowned while competing in a triathlon competition

A heartbroken sister has shared her grief after her sibling — a popular influencer — died during a triathlon competition.

Mara Flávia Araújo, 38, died on Saturday during the swim portion of Ironman Texas. Volunteers dashed to try to save the Brazilian woman, who had more than 60,000 followers on Instagram, after she vanished beneath the surface of the water.

Her sister, Melissa, today paid tribute to the social media influencer. She said: “You lived life intensely. You were always synonymous with determination, with courage — with a strength that seemed too vast to be contained within you. You never did anything halfway; perhaps that is why you left such a profound mark on the lives of everyone who crossed your path.”

Melissa went on to call her late sister her “other half,” writing: “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.”

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department (MCSD) opened an investigation and ordered an autopsy to be conducted by the coroner after Saturday’s tragedy. No formal results have been disclosed as yet.

Melissa, though, understands her sibling vanished beneath the surface approximately one hour into the pro-female swim in The Woodlands, a settlement around 30 miles north of Houston. Her poignant tribute continued: “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. 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.

Ironman Texas is a competition that includes a 2.4-mile swim portion, followed by a 112-mile bike ride and a 26.2-mile run, according to its website. During the swim, Mara fell beneath the water, and her body was later pulled to the surface by the Woodlands Fire Department, police said.

Ironman Texas also confirmed the drowning incident in its own statement, writing on Facebook: “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.”