Tori Bowie, a three-time Olympic winner and former world champion in the 100-meter race, passed away on Wednesday at the age of 32, according to her management organization.
Olympic medalist Calvin Davis passed away on Wednesday at the age of 51, according to the sport’s governing body, World Athletics.
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Bowie put on an electrifying performance, taking home gold in the 4×100 relay along with Tianna Bartoletta, Allyson Felix, and English Gardner, as well as silver and bronze in the 100 and 200. Icon Management posted on Twitter, “We’re heartbroken to relay the very terrible news that Tori Bowie has passed away.
“We’ve lost a daughter, a sister, a close friend, and a client.” Tori was a champion and a brilliant beacon of light! Our hearts are devastated, and we are praying for the family and friends. Bowie finished less than a hundredth of a second ahead of Marie-Josee Ta Lou of the Ivory Coast to win the 100 meters at the world championships in London one year after finishing second in Rio.
32-year-old Tori Bowie passes away
“USATF is deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Tori Bowie, a three-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion,” said USA Track and Field in a statement. She had an enormous impact on the sport, and she will be sorely missed.
Bowie was drawn into the track as a teenager while growing up in Sand Hill, Mississippi, and rose quickly through the ranks as a sprinter and long jumper. 2011 NCAA long jump champion for both the indoors and outdoors at Southern Miss.
After being abandoned in a foster home as an infant, Bowie was taken up by her grandmother. She only reluctantly showed up for track since she preferred to play basketball, but Bowie picked up the sport quickly and won state championships in the 100, 200, and long jump before heading off to college.
At the 2015 World Championships, she won a bronze medal in the 100 meters, which was her first significant international medal. After winning, she said, “My grandmother told me my entire life that I could do whatever I set my mind to.”
At the Atlanta Olympics in 1996, Davis took third place in the 400-meter hurdles, and in 1995, he competed for the United States on the team that took first place in the 4400-meter relay at the World Indoor Championships in Barcelona. The Associated Press and Reuters both contributed to this story.
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