Tori Bowie, America’s sprinter who won three Olympic medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, has died at the age of 32 years old.
Bowie’s death was announced Wednesday by her management company and USA Track and Field. No official cause of death has been given.
“USATF is deeply saddened by the passing of Tori Bowie, a three-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion. A talented athlete, her impact on the sport is immeasurable, and she will be greatly missed,” USA Track and Field CEO Max Siegel said in a statement.
According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orlando, Florida, deputies responded on Tuesday afternoon to a home in the area “for a well-being check of a woman in her 30s who had not been seen or heard from in several days.”
The sheriff’s report said that a woman, “tentatively identified as Frentorish “Tori” Bowie, was found dead in the home. There were no signs of foul play.”
Her death was also announced by Icon Management in a message on Twitter:
“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. 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.”
Tori Bowie grew up in Sand Hill, Mississippi where she was reportedly coaxed into racing as a teen and quickly rose up the ranks as a sprinter and long jumper. She attended Southern Miss, where she led the long jump NCAA championships at the indoor and outdoor events in 2011.
Bowie was taken and lived with 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.
Her first major international medal was a 100-meter bronze at the Worlds in 2015. After winning, she said, “My entire life my grandmother told me I could do whatever I set my mind to.”
Calvin Davis, Olympic Medalist In 400 Hurdles, Dies At 51
World Athletics, the sport’s governing body, also announced on Wednesday that Olympic medalist Calvin Davis had died at the age of 51 years old. However, the University of Arkansas, where he went to school, said Davis died Monday.
Davis won the bronze medal in the 400-meter hurdles at the 1996 Atlanta Games and was part of the U.S. team that won the 4×400-meter relay gold at the 1995 World Indoor Championships in Barcelona.
