It is a tragic fate. Triple medalist at the Rio Olympics in 2016, world champion of the 100m in London in 2017, Tori Bowie was found dead at her home in Florida on May 3 at the age of 32. The American sprinter, whose memory has been hailed by numerous tributes in the world of athletics, has experienced a dizzying rise, before slowly disappearing from the radar since 2019.
"She was young, talented, a great champion and a priori suffering from depression," says French sprinter Ayodele Ikuesan (37), who met Bowie on the slopes. Rumors of suicide have been spread in the American press, but the causes of his death have not been officially announced. Before being found dead, she had not given any sign of life for several days and her death was not considered "suspicious" by local authorities.
A tragic epilogue for Bowie, who experienced a long crossing of the desert after having reached the summits. "It's sad to think that she was so recognized, popular but alone in the face of the evil that gnawed at her," Ikuesan continues.
An embodiment of the American dream
This acme, the young athlete from Mississippi reached it in 2017, at the World Championships in London, by winning gold in the 100m and 4 x 100m. "Yes, I'm the fastest!" she laughed, almost incredulously, in front of the cameras after her victorious sprint. A year earlier, she had also been part of the Olympic champion 4x100m relay in Rio.
We join our friends at USA Track & Field and across the Olympic community in mourning the passing of 3x Olympic medalist Tori Bowie.
She was an admired friend, teammate, and a great representative of Team USA. We send our sincere condolences to all who know and loved her. pic.twitter.com/rbZ2JTYeQy
— Team USA (@TeamUSA) May 3, 2023
A consecration for the American, only professional since 2013 and who set a personal best of 10"78 on 100m shortly before the Games. Coming from a modest background, raised in foster care, then by his grandmother, Bowie, who hatched at the top level thanks to obtaining a scholarship to attend the University of Southern Mississippi, was then the heroine of a success story that America loves.
"All my life, my grandmother told me I could do what I wanted," she said after winning her first international charm, winning silver in the 100m at the 2015 Beijing Worlds. "My life has been a struggle from day one. From where I come from, a small town in Mississippi without even a red light, you're not supposed to succeed in life," she said.
"Her story brings up the topic of mental health in sport"
But the prodigy, who first went through basketball, did not stay long on her pedestal. After the Doha Worlds in 2019 punctuated by a 4th place in the long jump, the athlete has seen his media exposure decrease significantly.
A few months earlier, she was entangled in a dispute with the U.S. Olympic Training Center, which had prevented her from training there because of an alleged debt of $ 6,000, which she had assured on Twitter that she did not know the origin. Bowie subsequently did not compete in qualifying for the Tokyo Olympics and took part in only one meeting in 2022, in June, which ended with a modest time.
Subject to rumors of depression, Tori Bowie has gradually withdrawn from social networks. "Once the career is over, it feels like no one is checking in on anyone, despite the titles and medals won," says Ikuesan, a silver medallist in the 4x100m with the France team at the 2014 European Championships in Zurich. His story unfortunately reminds us of this again and revives the subject of mental health in high-performance sport, which is still little discussed. »
