Olympian Maggie Steffens’ sister-in-law, 26, dies after travelling to Paris for Games

globalnews.ca:

U.S. water polo captain Maggie Steffens is playing with a heavy heart at the Paris Olympics after her sister-in-law died a couple days before the Games began.

Lulu Conner, 26, died Tuesday after travelling to Paris to cheer on Steffens as she goes for a fourth consecutive gold medal with the U.S. team. The family is still piecing together what happened, but Steffens described the situation as “a medical emergency.”

“She was so excited for the Olympic Games,” a teary 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 while playing 21 1/2 minutes as the U.S. beat 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 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, 31, married Bobby Conner in Puerto Rico in November. Lulu, his sister, was an artist and UC Davis grad. She made her own version of Flavor Flav’s USA Water Polo clock for the Olympics.

A post shared by Maggie Steffens (@maggie.steffens)

While Steffens was on the American boat for the opening ceremony on Friday night, she dropped a small bouquet of flowers into the Seine River in remembrance.

“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