According to USA Today, three-time Olympic medallist Tori Bowie passed away last month as a result of problems during childbirth.
Bowie was 32 years old.
On May 2, Bowie’s body was discovered in her home in the Orlando, Florida, region; however, the cause of death was not initially disclosed. Bowie was reportedly eight months pregnant, in labor, and according to an autopsy report from the Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office, when she passed away.
Bowie’s exact cause of death is unknown, but officials noted that problems could have included respiratory distress and eclampsia, which can cause convulsions or put a person into a coma, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Deputies from the Orange County Sheriff’s Office discovered Bowie at her home while checking on her welfare because she had “not been seen or heard from in several days.”
At the Rio de Janeiro 2016 Olympics, Bowie took home three medals. She was the anchor for the 4×100-meter relay team that won the gold medal, which also included Tianna Bartoletta, Allyson Felix, and English Gardner. In addition, she took home bronze in the 200-meter dash and silver in the 100-meter dash.
At the 2015 World Championships in Beijing, Bowie also took home a bronze medal in the 100-meter dash. At the 2017 World Athletics Championships in London, Bowie won both the 100-meter dash and the 4×100-meter relay. In the long jump at the 2019 World Championships in Qatar, she came in fourth.
“We’ve lost a client, dear friend, daughter and sister,” her management company wrote on social media last month. “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.”
