Three-time Olympic medalist and 100m world champion Tori Bowie has passed away at the age of 32.
“USATF is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Tori Bowie, a three-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion,” USATF said in a statement on Twitter. “Her impact on the sport is immeasurable, and she will be greatly missed.”
Among many stories recalled by the athlete community, Manteo Mitchell shared a memory when travelling with Tori after she first turned pro.
Bowie, who is originally from Mississippi and competed at the University of Southern Mississippi, was an NCAA Champion, indoor and outdoor, in the long jump.
At the 2014 Prefontaine Classic, Tori was a late addition to the 200 meter field. Running from Lane 1, she ran a personal best time of 22.18s, setting a world lead and besting a field that included Shelly-Ann Fraser-Price and Allyson Felix.
After the race, she said in an interview with USATF:
“To start off with the sprints, I was the girl who was supposed to be the alternate. If something happens then I take their spot. Someone pulled out of the race and I found out two days ago that I’d be running, that I had to fill lane 1. It was an awful feeling knowing that lane one! I’m in the heat with an amazing field. It’s kind of a scary feeling to be in lane one. So I went out there and my main goal was to be the first person to come off the curve. I knew if I was the first person off the curve, I knew I’d have a great race. I tried to beat everyone off the curve today.
I wasn’t even thinking about time. I was just scared. it was just my second 200 my entire life. I didn’t want anyone to pass me. I just kept running and kept running. It paid off.”
From that point on, Bowie was a force to be reckoned with on the world stage. Here is video of that race:
She took home the bronze medal in the women’s 100m at the 2015 World Championships, which was her first medal at the world stage.
In 2016, she went all out at the Olympic Games in Rio, finishing with a silver medal in the women’s 100m, the bronze medal in the women’s 200m, and she anchored the women’s 4x100m relay team to a gold medal and the second fastest time ever recorded in the event.
In 2017, Bowie competed at the World Championships in London, winning gold medals in the women’s 4×100 meter relay, as well as the women’s 100m.
