American track and field Olympic medalist Tori Bowie has died, according to her agent Kimberly Holland. Bowie was 32 years old.
The Mississippi native was found dead at home in Florida, and the cause of death is still unknown.
The sheriff’s office wrote that a woman, “tentatively identified as Frentorish “Tori” Bowie (DOB: 8/27/1990), was found dead in the home. There were no signs of foul play,” ESPN reports.
“We’ve lost a client, dear friend, daughter, and sister,” Icon Management Inc. said in a statement. “Tori was a champion… a beacon of light that shined so bright! We’re truly heartbroken, and our prayers are with the family, friends, and everyone that loved her.”
Bowie won three medals at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio: gold in the 4x100m relay, silver in the 100 meters, and bronze in the 200 meters. At the 2017 world championships, she won gold in both the 100 meters and the 4x100m.
The 32-year-old was a three-time All-American at the University of Southern Mississippi. Her last official competition was in June 2022, and her last appearance on the world stage was in 2019 at the world championships in Doha, where she finished fourth in the long jump.
World Athletics (WA) said: “[Bowie] was a rare athletic talent who represented the United States in both sprints and jumps during her decorated career.
Jamaican sprinter Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce said the news “breaks my heart,” Fellow Mississippi native Brittney Reese said on Twitter: “You have made a lot of us proud. Thank you for representing our state of Mississippi like you did… RIP !”
According to ESPN, Bowie rose up in the ranks as a sprinter and long jumper as a teenager. She was taken in by her grandmother as an infant after she was left at a foster home. She considered herself a basketball player and only reluctantly showed up for track, but Bowie was a fast learner, becoming a state champion in the 100, 200, and long jump before going to college.
