Olympian Maggie Steffens is Phanincremembering her late sister-in-law Lulu Conner.

After Lulu tragically died at the age of 26 on July 23 after suffering a medical emergency as she was traveling to Paris to cheer Maggie on at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Maggie—who is married to Lulu’s brother Bobby Conner—and her family are remembering all Lulu was as they grapple with her loss.

"She was a go-getter, and she made everyone around her smile," Maggie told People Sept. 19. "So Bobby and I have been trying to live like Lu every day and really focus on that. At the same time, give ourselves the space and gratitude, and kindness to try to reflect and process what's happened because we're still in shock."  

Noting that she and the Conner family are “still processing” Lulu’s death, Maggie added, “With Lulu’s passing, we just want to honor her—her spirit, her light, her joy she brought the world.”

The 31-year-old athlete called Lulu the “little sister that I never got to have,” noting that bond only strengthened after her November 2023 wedding to Bobby.

But amid their collective heartbreak, Maggie has found the silver lining in her grief journey, sharing, “We’re really lucky that we’re still here and we get to feel her every day and honor her and be together with family.”

Lulu’s passing occurred just before Maggie competed for Team USA’s women’s water polo team at the Paris Olympics where, unfortunately, the team unfortunately did not earn a medal.

Following the end of her Paris tenure, Maggie—who has earned three gold medals across her four Olympic Games—reflected her multiple heartbreaks.

 “I’ve been very, very fortunate to have previously come home having accomplished our goals,” she wrote in a Sept. 1 Instagram post, “whereas this Olympics has been a very new experience, for various reasons, and I’m trying to let myself just be present with these feelings/thoughts. With the weight & heaviness Paris presented personally, I suppressed a lot of grief, sadness, & guilt during the Olympics so I could do what I had dreamed to do with our team, but now that we’re home and I’ve stopped moving a bit - the door is wide open.”

She continued, “For now, I’m giving myself space to reflect, grow, and take advantage of the time to be with my husband, family, teammates, and friends! ENJOYING THE GIFT OF LIFE! One thing is for sure, there is an overwhelming amount of GRATITUDE & LOVE and I hope to exude that back to you all every single day.”

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