For U.S. water polo captain Maggie Steffens, time in the pool will have an extra special meaning and be somewhat of a reprieve for her.
Outside of the water, Steffens is dealing with the sudden loss of her sister-in-law, Lulu Conner, 26, who died on Tuesday after traveling to Paris to cheer on Steffens during the 2024 Summer Olympics.
The details surrounding Conner’s death have not been released, other than Steffens calling it “a medical emergency” in an interview with the Associated Press.
Conner was the sister of Bobby Conner, who married Steffens last November in Puerto Rico, and had been a U.C. Davis graduate.
Steffens honored her on Friday night during the opening ceremony by dropping a small bouquet of flowers into the Seine River.
The Team USA captain was in the water for the US’s 15-6 win over Greece the next day.
“It definitely helps to play,” said Steffens, who played nearly 22 minutes and scored two goals in the win. “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.”
Steffens described her late sister-in-law as the “light of the world” and said the two had been close.
The American captain expressed gratitude for her teammates being so supportive.
2024 PARIS OLYMPICS
“It’s going to be a really hard couple weeks for all of us,” she said. “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. I mean, it’s a nightmare, and it’s completely shocking. But I think just feeling her spirit here is, like I said, it’s amazing. And I hope that we can make her proud every single day.”
Sadly, this isn’t the first time the U.S. women’s water polo team has had to experience a tragedy like this.
Head coach Adam Krikorian lost his brother to a heart attack while he was at the Rio Olympics in 2016.
“It’s not something you’re ever prepared for,” Krikorian told the San Fransico Chronicle. “Maggie knows my pain and sorrow — I’ve shared that with her. The pain and shock are the things that stick out.”
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