Tori Bowie

Frentorish "Tori" Bowie (August 27, 1990 – April 23, 2023) was an American track and field athlete, who primarily competed in the long jump, 100 meters, and 200 meters. She won the silver medal in the 100 m and bronze in the 200 m at the 2016 Rio Olympics, bronze and gold in the 100 m at the 2015 and 2017 World Championships, respectively, and also earned gold medals as part of U.S. women's 4 × 100 m relays at both the 2016 Olympic Games and 2017 World Championships.

Early life and education Bowie was born on August 27, 1990, in Sand Hill, Rankin County, Mississippi. When she was two years old, her mother placed Bowie and her sister into foster care. Her grandmother gained guardianship over her, becoming caretaker, instilling in Bowie a work ethic about which she recounted, "My grandmother's number-one rule was that once you start something, you don't quit...She never let me give up on anything." As a junior in 2007, Bowie won Mississippi state high school championships in the 100 m and the long jump; as a senior in 2008, she won state championships in the 100 m, 200 m, and long jump. She also won three state titles in the 4 × 100 m relay, as well as competing on the state team in women's basketball. In her second year of collegiate competition, she set her indoor best of in the long jump and was the Conference USA indoor runner-up. She also jumped nationally at the 2010 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, claiming eighth place overall.

During her junior year in 2011, Bowie won both of her two collegiate national titles. She won the long jump at the Conference USA indoor championship, where she was also runner-up in the triple jump. A jump of was enough to win Bowie her first college title in the long jump at the NCAA Division I Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships, also setting a school record. She was second in both horizontal jumps at the Conference USA Outdoors, then won the NCAA outdoor long jump title with another school record mark of . For her achievements she was named the conference female athlete of the year. a personal record for the event. Outdoors, she significantly improved her 100 m best that year, dropping from 11.76 to 11.28 seconds. with a new school record of , Bowie earned her degree in interdisciplinary studies from the University of Southern Mississippi in 2012.

Professional career Bowie began competing in track and field professionally in 2013. At the USATF Championships that year, she was a 100 m semi-finalist and narrowly missed the long jump team for the Moscow World Championships after finishing fourth in that event. She also competed on the Diamond League circuit for the first time, long jumping at the Adidas Grand Prix and Herculis meets. Her runner-up finish in the long jump at the USATF Indoor Championships gained Bowie a spot on team for the World Indoor Championships in Sopot, Poland. She faltered in the qualifying and was eliminated, coming 14th overall.

Bowie (R) finished third in the 100 m behind only Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and Dafne Schippers (L) at Beijing 2015. In May 2014, she won her first Diamond League race with a 200 m victory at the Prefontaine Classic in Eugene, Oregon. To everyone's surprise, she outsprinted Blessing Okagbare and the renowned Allyson Felix with a time of 22.18 s. Bowie then claimed wins in the 100 m races at the Rome, New York and Monaco Diamond League meets, clocking a swift 10.80 seconds at the latter.

Allyson Felix, English Gardner, Tianna Bartoletta, and Tori Bowie celebrate their victory in the women's 4 × 100 m relay at the 2016 Rio Olympics. The following year, at the 2016 U.S. Olympic Trials, she placed third in the 100 m with a time of 10.78 seconds. At the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Bowie won the silver medal in the 100 m event with a time of 10.83 s. She then earned bronze in the 200 m, clocking 22.15 s. She added the gold medal while anchoring the women's 4 × 100 m relay team.

At the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London, Bowie won the gold medal in the 100-meter dash, achieving a time of 10.85 seconds, with a .01 second margin of victory.

In April 2019 at the Robison Invitational in Provo, Utah, Bowie jumped the entry standard for the Doha World Championships in Qatar with a leap of . She finished fourth in Doha, jumping in the final. and had been eight months pregnant. Her obituary gave her date of death as April 23, 2023. According to the results of an autopsy, Bowie died as a result of complications related to childbirth, among which were eclampsia, respiratory distress and high blood pressure. Her daughter was stillborn. The weight of her body upon discovery was only , below her weight in competition.

Achievements Bowie (C) races in the 100 m semifinal at the 2017 London World Championships, where she then took the gold medal in the final.

All information taken from World Athletics profile.

International competitions 1Did not start in the semifinals.

Personal bests 60 meters indoor – 7.11 (Portland, OR 2016) 100 meters – 10.78 (+1.0 m/s, Eugene, OR 2016) 200 meters – 21.77 (+1.5 m/s, Eugene, OR 2017) Long jump – (+1.0 m/s, Los Angeles, CA 2013) Long jump indoor – (Naperville, IL 2014) Triple jump – (0.0 m/s, New Orleans, LA 2012) Triple jump indoor – (Birmingham, AL 2012)

Circuit wins Diamond League 2014: Eugene Prefontaine Classic (200 m), Rome Golden Gala (100 m), New York Grand Prix (100 m), Monaco Herculis (100 m) 2015: New York (200 m) 2016: Doha Qatar Athletic Super Grand Prix (100 m), Eugene (200 m) 2017: Eugene (200 m)

National and NCAA titles USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships 100 metres: 2015, 2017 200 metres: 2016 NCAA Division I Women's Outdoor Track and Field Championships Long jump: 2011 NCAA Division I Women's Indoor Track and Field Championships Long jump: 2011