By: Kevin Lee
On May 2nd, 2023, once the fastest woman alive, Tori Bowie was found dead in her home. She was only 32 when she died. Due to complications from childbirth, Tori Bowie tragically didn’t survive her pregnancy, and neither did the baby.
Tori Bowie was born on August 27th, 1990, in Sand Hill, Mississippi, where she was put in foster care at the age of 2. She was raised by her grandmother who she played basketball with her cousins. When she joined her High School sports team, she discovered track and field, which she enjoyed and got better and better. She quickly grew a talent for the sport.
Tori Bowie would end up participating in the Olympics Track and Field events. She won many Olympic medals, however, her last race was in 2022. On May 2nd, 2023, Bowie passed away.
According to NPR, “Bowie, whose career highlights include a 100-meter world championship and three Olympic medals (one of them gold), was found deceased on May 2, during a welfare check. The local sheriff’s office had sent deputies to check on her after she wasn’t seen for several days.”
“The revelation came from the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office in Florida, which just released its autopsy report on Bowie. The report concludes that Bowie, who was found in bed alone in a home, had been undergoing labor,” according to NPR. Bowie’s height was 5’9, she weighed 96 pounds, and her organs were in good shape.
Chantel Njiwaji, a medical examiner did mention possible ways Bowie could’ve died, such as eclampsia or preeclampsia. According to the National Institutes of Health, “Preeclampsia is a sudden spike in blood pressure. Eclampsia is more severe and can include seizures or coma.”
Olympic athlete, Tori Bowie, was buried at her hometown of Sand Hill, Mississippi.