Olympic sprinter Tori Bowie died from childbirth complications, according to an autopsy report released by the Orange County, Florida, medical examiner’s office. The 32-year-old was eight months pregnant when she was found dead in her Orlando home on May.
Deputies responded to the home to do a “well-being check of a woman who had not been seen or heard from for several days”. The woman was identified as Frentorish “Tori” Bowie. She was 32 years old.
“We’re devasted to share the very sad news that Tori Bowie has passed away. We’ve lost a client, dear friend, daughter, and sister.” Icon Management Inc tweeted on May 3. “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.”
The medical examiner Chantel Njwaji who wrote the autopsy report wrote “cause of death was natural” and “possible complications from respiratory distress and eclampsia” Eclampsia, is when a pregnant woman suffers from high blood pressure which can be followed by a coma and poses a threat to the health of the mother and baby. Eclampsia is defined as a “severe complication of preeclampsia,” which can occur when a woman who previously had normal blood pressure suddenly develops “high blood pressure and protein in her urine or other problems after 20 weeks of pregnancy,” according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Bowie’s Story
Tori Bowie was born in Sand Hill, Mississippi. When she was 2 years old, she and her sister Tamara, who was 11 months old, was given to the foster care system. She was later taken in by her grandmother after 9 months in care.
Bowie first played basketball; she was in love with the sport. Bowie was then introduced to track when her school team was small and they required players to play both sports.
Bowie continued playing basketball and track and field while attending Pisgah High School where she achieved her high school titles of 100 and 200 meter, long jump, and the 4×100 relay.
Bowie later attended the University of Southern Mississippi where she received her athletic scholarship to compete as a sprinter and long jumper. She then went on and got the title of NCAA Women’s Indoor Track and Field Championship and was also named conference female athlete of the year.
She later went on and earned a spot on Team USA for the world championship in Beijing, where she received bronze. From there, she went on to become a three-time Olympic champion in the 2016 Rio de Janiero Games, winning gold in the 4x100m relay, silver in the 100 meters and bronze in the 200 meters. The following year at the 2017 world championships, she won gold in both the 100 meters and the 4x100m.
Black women have the highest maternal mortality rate in the United States, likely to die three times higher from pregnancy or childbirth than women of any other race, according to the CDC.
Olympian Allyson Felix penned an essay for Time dedicated to Bowie. She wrote that she and the entire 2016 Olympic 4×100 women’s relay team, which Bowie was a part of, all suffered from pregnancy complications.
“We’re dealing with a Black Maternal Health crisis. Here you have three Olympic champions, and we’re still at risk,” Felix wrote. “I would love to have another child. That’s something that I know for sure. But will I be here to raise that child? That’s a very real concern. And that’s a terrifying thing. This is America, in 2023, and Black women are dying while giving birth. It’s absurd.”
She added, “I’m hopeful that things can get better. I’m hopeful that Tori, who stood on the podium at Rio, gold around her neck and sweetness in her soul, won’t die in vain.”
