By: Derrick Chen

On May 2, Frentorish Bowie, once the fastest woman in the world, was found deceased. Bowie had not been seen for days, so the local sheriff sent deputies to conduct a welfare check.

Bowie reportedly died from natural causes in childbirth. Bowie also suffered from medical conditions. “There could also be complications with eclampsia or respiratory distress,” says Medical Examiner Chantel Njiwaji. Eclampsia is a sudden spike in blood pressure which can cause seizures or even a coma.

Bowie’s death supports studies showing that Black American women have higher eclampsia rates than other races. Black women have 60% higher pre-eclampsia and eclampsia rates while also having a higher average severity of eclampsia. Another example of this statistic is Bowie’s teammate Allyson Felix. She had to undergo a c-section due to pre-eclampsia.

Becoming a mother is a difficult responsibility, especially as a track athlete. Allyson Felix worked in darkness at 4 am so nobody would know about her pregnancy. Bowie was eight months pregnant when she underwent labor and died.

Bowie’s career started in Sandhill, Mississippi where she attended Pisgah High School. She was on the basketball team, which had been her first dream. Due to the small size of her school, she was forced to be on the track team as well. Immediately, Bowie began beating Sandhill records. She and her team won state titles. She competed in 100 meters, 200 meters, 4×100 meter relays. and long jump. Later in life, these accomplishments earned her a scholarship from the University of Southern Mississippi. Then she went on to go to the Rio 2016 Olympics. She became a three time olympic medalist. She beat Marie Josee Ta Lou by 0.01 seconds to get the record for the fastest woman in the world. One of the biggest things that motivated her was her grandmother, who told her to not give up on anything, and she never did.