World Athletics is deeply saddened to hear that Tori Bowie, the 2017 world 100m champion and multiple Olympic medallist, has died at the age of 32.
Alongside her individual world gold, Bowie also formed part of USA’s title winning 4x100m team in London and claimed an Olympic medal treble in Rio in 2016, getting gold in the 4x100m, silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m.
“We’re devastated to share the very sad news that Tori Bowie has passed away,” her management company, Icon Management, said in a statement. “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.”
Born in Sand Hill, Mississippi, on 27 August 1990, Bowie showed her track and field talent while at Pisgah High School and gained a scholarship to the University of Southern Mississippi. She then became the first athlete from the university to achieve an indoor and outdoor NCAA long jump title double in a single season, winning indoor gold in March 2011 and adding the outdoor crown in June of that year. She also competed in the sprints and the triple jump, leaping a PB of 13.09m in 2012.
Bowie began her professional career in 2013 and made her major international debut at the World Indoor Championships in Sopot in 2014, during a season in which she set her long jump PB of 6.95m. She then switched her focus to the sprints, with great success, and ended the year as No.1 in the women’s 100m thanks to the 10.80 she ran to win at the Monaco Diamond League. She would feature in the top five on the 100m season top list for each of the next three years.
During that period, Bowie improved her PBs to 10.78 in the 100m and 21.77 in the 200m and she won her first global medal at the World Championships in Beijing in 2015, clocking 10.86 behind winner Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce and silver medallist Dafne Schippers.
That proved to be just the start as Bowie won five medals at the next two outdoor global championships, claiming 100m silver and 200m bronze at the Rio Olympics in 2016 before anchoring the 4x100m team to victory.
She then stormed to the world 100m crown in London in 2017, clocking 10.85 to beat Marie-Josee Ta Lou and Schippers, later adding another 4x100m title to her CV as she again anchored the team to victory.
At the 2019 World Championships in Doha, Bowie competed in both the 100m and long jump, achieving fourth place in the long jump final with a leap of 6.81m.
She last competed in a 200m race in Florida in June 2022.
“USATF is deeply saddened by the passing of Tori Bowie, a three-time Olympic medallist and two-time world champion,” said Max Siegel, CEO of USA Track & Field. “A talented athlete, her impact on the sport is immeasurable, and she will be greatly missed.”
Fraser-Pryce was among those to pay tribute, writing: “My heart breaks for the family of Tori Bowie. A great competitor and source of light. Your energy and smile will always be with me. Rest in peace.”
Bowie’s USA teammate Noah Lyles, the two-time world 200m champion, wrote: “This breaks my heart to hear and I will keep the family in my prayers.”
While USA’s multiple world long jump champion Brittney Reese wrote: “I’m so heartbroken over this. You have made a lot of us proud, thank you for representing our state of Mississippi like you did. RIP.”
