The former 100-meter dash world champion, Tori Bowie, was found dead on May 2. She was only 32 at the time.
The article “Sprinter Tori Bowie died from childbirth complications: Autopsy” states that she was about eight months pregnant and was possibly undergoing labor.
In her childhood, Bowie mainly focused her efforts on playing basketball. It wasn’t until high school that she joined her school’s track and field team, discovering her love and passion for the sport. After multiple astonishing wins in the next few years, she earned a scholarship to the University of Southern Mississippi.
Bowie has earned three Olympic Medals, one of them being gold. Many of her fellow sprinters described how talented and kind she was.
Bowie died due to natural causes, according to Associate Medical Examiner, Chantel Njiwaji, who wrote her autopsy report. The article “Tori Bowie, an elite Olympic athlete, died of complications from childbirth” states, “Njiwaji cited possible complications from respiratory distress and eclampsia. Eclampsia, like preeclampsia, is a disorder related to high blood pressure during pregnancy. The dangers of the two conditions are well-documented, even if their precise causes aren’t yet known.”
Bowie’s death during childbirth highlights the higher risks Black American women face before and after childbirth. In March, NPR reported that the maternal death rate among Black Americans is much higher than most other racial groups. In 2021, maternal death rates for Black women were about 2.6 times higher than for white women.
Many will mourn the death of this talented and kind athlete.
Sources: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/13/1181971448/tori-bowie-an-elite-olympic-athlete-died-of-complications-from-childbirth
https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2023/6/13/us-sprinter-tori-bowie-died-from-childbirth-complications-autopsy
The article “Sprinter Tori Bowie died from childbirth complications: Autopsy” states that she was about eight months pregnant and was possibly undergoing labor.
In her childhood, Bowie mainly focused her efforts on playing basketball. It wasn’t until high school that she joined her school’s track and field team, discovering her love and passion for the sport. After multiple astonishing wins in the next few years, she earned a scholarship to the University of Southern Mississippi.
Bowie has earned three Olympic Medals, one of them being gold. Many of her fellow sprinters described how talented and kind she was.
Bowie died due to natural causes, according to Associate Medical Examiner, Chantel Njiwaji, who wrote her autopsy report. The article “Tori Bowie, an elite Olympic athlete, died of complications from childbirth” states, “Njiwaji cited possible complications from respiratory distress and eclampsia. Eclampsia, like preeclampsia, is a disorder related to high blood pressure during pregnancy. The dangers of the two conditions are well-documented, even if their precise causes aren’t yet known.”
Bowie’s death during childbirth highlights the higher risks Black American women face before and after childbirth. In March, NPR reported that the maternal death rate among Black Americans is much higher than most other racial groups. In 2021, maternal death rates for Black women were about 2.6 times higher than for white women.
Many will mourn the death of this talented and kind athlete.
Sources: https://www.npr.org/2023/06/13/1181971448/tori-bowie-an-elite-olympic-athlete-died-of-complications-from-childbirth
https://www.aljazeera.com/sports/2023/6/13/us-sprinter-tori-bowie-died-from-childbirth-complications-autopsy