The management team and police deputies confirmed the death of 32-year-old former Olympic champion sprinter Tori Bowie. She had been living in Orlando, Florida, and family members said that they haven’t seen or heard from her in several days.
The cause of her death is still unknown, but she was found by Orange County Sheriff’s Office while they were conducting a wellness check.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office, they responded to a call on Tuesday afternoon to a nearby home “for a well-being check of a woman in her 30s who had not been seen or heard from in several days.”
Who Is Tori Bowie?
Bowie is a Mississippi native that reportedly played basketball and ran track in high school. Her grandmother reportedly took her in after she was left at a foster home.
She became a state champion in the 100, 200 and long jump before attending the University of Southern Mississippi. There, she won the 2011 NCAA championship in the indoor and outdoor long jump competitions.
In 2015, she made her mark in the professional track world by capturing the bronze medal in the 100-meter sprint. She made her first Olympic appearance at the 2016 Rio Games. Bowie took home a silver medal in the 100-meter and a bronze in the 200-meter dashes. In addition, she took home the gold in the 4×100 as the anchor leg on a team with Tianna Bartoletta, Allyson Felix and English Gardner.
After the Rio games, Bowie avenged her second place finish by winning the 100-meter race a year later at the London World Championships.
Reactions From The Track Community
Icon management, the company currently representing Bowie, released a statement on their official Twitter account on Wednesday.
“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,” wrote Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce on Twitter.
“She was a very enthusiastic, sparkling personality,” said track coach Craig Poole, who worked with Bowie early in her career and again later. “She was really fun to work with.”
Brittney Reese, three-time Olympic long jump gold medalist, “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!”
Authorities still are still trying to figure out Bowie’s cause of death but she didn’t have any known health problems.
