Tori Bowie, American sprinter who won 3 medals at 2016 Olympics, dead at 32

Tori Bowie, the sprinter who won three Olympic medals at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, has died. He is 32 years old.

Bowie’s death was announced Wednesday by his management company and USA Track and Field. No cause of death was given.

“USATF is deeply saddened by the passing of Tori Bowie, a three-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion,” USA Track and Field CEO Max Siegel said in a statement. “A talented athlete, his impact on the sport is immeasurable, and he will be sorely missed.”

According to the Orange County Sheriff’s Office in Orlando, Florida, deputies responded Tuesday afternoon to a home in the area “to check on the welfare of a woman in her 30s who had not been seen or heard from in several days.”

The sheriff’s office wrote that the woman, “tentatively identified as Frentorish” Tori “Bowie (DOB: 8/27/1990), was found dead at home. There are no signs of foul play.”

Growing up in Sandhill, Miss., Bowie was lured to track at a young age and quickly rose through the ranks as a sprinter and long jumper. He attended Southern Mississippi, where he won the NCAA long jump indoor and outdoor championships in 2011.

Bowie produced an electric performance at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she won silver in the 100 and bronze in the 200. She then anchored the 4×100 team with Tianna Bartoletta, Allyson Felix and England Gardner to take gold.

A year later, he won the 100 meters at the 2017 world championships in London. He also helped the 4×100 team win gold.

“He’s such an enthusiastic, sparkling personality,” said track coach Craig Poole, who worked with Bowie early in his career and again. “He was a lot of fun to work with.”

The track and field community mourned the loss of Bowie on social media. Jamaican sprint sensation Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce posted on Twitter: “My heart breaks for Tori Bowie’s family. A great competitor and source of light. Your energy and smile will always be with me. Rest in peace.”

Added US hurdler Lolo Jones: “Very durable. Gutted to hear about Tori Bowie. Amazing talent. A beautiful runner. I pray for the comfort of the family, thank you for blessing us with her. The running community mourns an incredible loss.”

Brittney Reese, a three-time Olympic medalist in the long jump, wrote: “I am so sad about this… You have made so many of us proud to represent the state of Mississippi the way you did… RIP !”

Bowie was taken in by his grandmother as a baby after being left in foster care. He thought of himself as a basketball player and only showed up on the track early, but Bowie was a quick learner, becoming a state champion in the 100, 200 and long jump before college.

Her first major international medal was the 100-meter bronze at the worlds in 2015. After winning, she said, “All my life, my grandmother told me that I can do anything I set my mind to.”