American water polo captain Maggie Steffens is playing with a heavy heart at the Olympic Games in Paris, after her sister-in-law passed away a few days before the start of the competition.
Lulu Conner, 26, died Tuesday after traveling to Paris to cheer on Steffens as she leads the U.S. team in its quest for a fourth consecutive gold medal. The family is still trying to piece together what happened, but Steffens described the situation as “a medical emergency.”
“She was so excited for the Olympics,” a tearful Steffens told the Associated Press. “We’re really close. She’s the light of the world. She just brings so much joy to everyone. She always brings people together.”
Steffens scored two goals in 21 and a half minutes of play as the U.S. defeated Greece 15-6 on the first day of the women’s tournament on Saturday. She is the highest-scoring woman in Olympic history with 58 goals.
“It definitely helps to play,” Steffens said. “I’m so out of my body in a way right now. And I keep reminding myself what Lulu would want and what she would be like, you know, how can I best embody her spirit. And Lulu was someone who gave 150 percent to everything she did.”
Steffens, 31, married Bobby Conner in Puerto Rico in November. Lulu was an artist—she made her own version of Flavor Flav’s USA Water Polo clock for the Olympics.
Lulu also graduated from the University of California at Davis and was one of three children in a family.
While on the American boat for the opening ceremony on Friday night, Steffens threw a small bouquet of flowers into the Seine River in remembrance.
“It’s going to be a really tough couple of weeks for all of us,” she said. “My team has been a huge support system for me. I’ve obviously had a really hard time, and my husband has, and his whole family. I mean, it’s a nightmare, and it’s completely shocking. But I think just feeling her spirit here, like I said, is amazing. And I hope we can make her proud every day.”
The death just before the Olympics was reminiscent of the 2016 Games, when U.S. water polo coach Adam Krikorian lost his brother Blake and went home to be with his family before returning in time for the team’s first match in Rio de Janeiro.
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For Krikorian it was all too familiar.
“You know when it happens, it’s like all the emotions come flooding back to you,” he said. “You might not feel those emotions as often, but then they just come flooding back.
“You just show her love and support,” he continued. “You know it’s important that she’s there for Bobby and his family as well. This is a difficult time for them, and giving her some freedom to spend some time with them, I think, is huge.”