US Olympic Gold Medalist Has Died at the Age of 32
Tori Bowie, the sprinter who won three Olympic medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, has died. She was 32.
Bowie’s death was announced Wednesday by her management company and USA Track and Field.
No cause of death was given.
Her agent, Kimberly Holland, told CNN that Bowie was found dead at home in Florida.
“We’re devasted to share the very sad news that Tori Bowie has passed away. We’ve lost a client, dear friend, daughter and sister,” Icon Management said on Twitter. “Tori was a champion … a beacon of light that shined so bright!
“We’re truly heartbroken and our prayers are with the family and friends.”
“We’re devasted to share the very sad news that Tori Bowie has passed away. We’ve lost a client, dear friend, daughter and sister. Tori was a champion…a beacon of light that shined so bright! We’re truly heartbroken and our prayers are with the family and friends. pic.twitter.com/ES83SjM7u4
— Icon Management Inc. (@iconmanagement) May 3, 2023
“USATF is deeply saddened by the passing of Tori Bowie, a three-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion,” USA Track and Field said. “A talented athlete, her impact on the sport is immeasurable, and she will be greatly missed.”
USATF is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Tori Bowie, a three-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion.
Her impact on the sport is immeasurable, and she will be greatly missed. pic.twitter.com/AHu5SejZ5N
— USATF (@usatf) May 3, 2023
In a news release, the group said she was “[o]ne of the most exciting athletes to come out of the state of Mississippi.”
Growing up in Sandhill, a few miles northeast of Jackson, Bowie was coaxed into track as a teenager and quickly rose up the ranks as a sprinter and long jumper.
She attended Southern Mississippi, where she swept the long jump NCAA championships at the indoor and outdoor events in 2011.
Bowie turned in an electric performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she won silver in the 100 and bronze in the 200. She then ran the anchor leg on a 4×100 team with Tianna Bartoletta, Allyson Felix and English Gardner to take gold.
A year later, she won the 100 meters at the 2017 world championships in London. She also helped the 4×100 team to gold.
Bowie was taken in by her grandmother as an infant after she was left at a foster home.
She considered herself a basketball player and only reluctantly showed up for track, but Bowie was a fast learner, becoming a state champion in the 100, 200 and long jump before going to college.
Her first major international medal was a 100-meter bronze at the worlds in 2015. After winning, she said, “my entire life my grandmother told me I could do whatever I set my mind to.”
“Off the track, Bowie was a professional fashion model and walked the runway at Paris Fashion Week in 2019 for Y-3, a collaboration label between her athletic sponsor, adidas, and Japanese designer Yohji Yamamoto,” USA Track and Field said.
“She also featured in Valentino’s 2018 Resort campaign and did work with Stella McCartney.”
The Western Journal has reviewed this Associated Press story and may have altered it prior to publication to ensure that it meets our editorial standards.
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