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

Sister of tragic influencer speaks out after she died in horror accident at 38Mara Flávia Araújo, who had more than 60,000 followers on Instagram and was known for sharing fitness content, drowned while competing in a triathlon competitionNewsBradley Jolly Overnight News Editor23:52, 20 Apr 2026Updated 00:00, 21 Apr 2026View 2 ImagesMara Flávia (left) is pictured with her sister Melissa(Image: Instagram)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."READ MORE: Police warning as woman arrested after little girl found dead in golf course pondREAD MORE: Boy, 3, dies after wandering from home after midnight before being found in riverView 2 ImagesMelissa had an extremely strong bond with her sibling(Image: Instagram)‌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...