Captain of the American water polo team Maggie Steffens plays with a heavy heart Paris Olympic Games after the death of his sister-in-law a few days before the start of the Games.
Lulu Conner, 26, died Tuesday after traveling to Paris to cheer on Steffens, who is seeking a fourth straight gold medal with Team USA. The family is still trying to piece together what happened, but Steffens described the situation as a “medical emergency.”
“She was so excited about the Olympics,” Steffens told The Associated Press. “We’re really close. She’s the light of the world. She brings so much joy to everyone. She always brings people together.”
Steffens scored two goals in 21 1/2 minutes of play as the United States beat Greece 15-6 on the opening day of the women’s tournament on Saturday. She is the most prolific player in Olympic history with 58 goals.
“Acting really helps me,” Steffens said. “I’m kind of out of my body right now. And I keep trying to remember what Lulu would have wanted and how she would be, you know, how can I best embody her spirit. And Lulu was someone who gave 150 percent to everything she did.”
Luca Bruno / AP
Steffens, 31, married Bobby Conner in Puerto Rico in November. Lulu was an artist — she made her own version of Flavor Flav’s water polo clock for the Olympics — a UC Davis graduate and one of three sisters.
While on the American boat for the opening ceremony Friday evening, Steffens placed a small bouquet of flowers in the Seine as a souvenir.
“It’s going to be a very difficult few weeks for all of us,” she said. “My team has been very supportive. Obviously I’ve had a really hard time, and so has my husband and her whole family. It’s a nightmare and it’s completely shocking. But I think just to feel her spirit here is, like I said, incredible. And I hope we can make her proud every day.”
The death just before the Olympics brought back memories of the 2016 Games, when coach Adam Krikorian lost his brother, Blake, and went home to be with his family before returning in time for the team’s first game in Rio de Janeiro.
It was all too familiar to Krikorian.
“You know, when that happens, it’s like all the emotions come flooding back,” he said. “You may not feel those emotions very often, but then they come flooding back.”
“You have to show her love and support,” he continued. “You know it’s important that she’s there for Bobby and his family as well. It’s a tough time for them, and giving her some freedom to be able to spend time with them is, I think, extremely important.”
