The 38-year-old Brazilian triathlete who drowned during the swim leg of IRONMAN Texas in April died of accidental drowning, according to an autopsy report released by the Montgomery County Medical Examiner's Office on Aug. 15.

The report, according to the Houston Chronicle, provides the first official findings on the death of Mara Flávia Araujo during the Memorial Hermann IRONMAN Texas North American Championship in The Woodlands. The race drew thousands of athletes to Lake Woodlands on April 18.

Araujo entered the water at approximately 6:44 a.m. Race staff observed her become submerged at about 7:35 a.m. and attempted to locate her without success. A boat equipped with sonar recovered her body at approximately 9:44 a.m. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

The Montgomery County Sheriff's Office confirmed the drowning on race day in a statement published by Hello Woodlands.

The autopsy identified a slightly enlarged heart and a minor abnormality involving one of Araujo's coronary arteries. The medical examiner noted those conditions would not typically cause serious problems but could potentially become more significant during intense exercise.

However, the report found no structural heart condition or other natural cause of death. Investigators could not determine whether the minor cardiac abnormalities contributed to the drowning.

The medical examiner's office noted in the report that drowning can occur in trained athletes during swim competitions without any underlying contributing medical factors, and that it remains unknown whether the cardiac abnormalities or any other medical factors affected Araujo's endurance.

An experienced competitor

Araujo was an experienced endurance athlete and fitness influencer with more than 61,000 Instagram followers. She had completed at least nine full-distance IRONMAN races, including the 2023 IRONMAN World Championship in Kona, Hawaii, where she finished in 11 hours, 59 minutes and 20 seconds.

Shawn McDonald, a volunteer at the April 18 race, wrote on Facebook after the event about his efforts to rescue Araujo after she went under. "She had gone into that water chasing something most people only dream of finishing," McDonald wrote. "To her family: we did everything we could. I am so deeply, genuinely sorry that it wasn't enough."