2016 Olympic Gold Medallist Tori Bowie Died Due To Childbirth Complications, Autopsy Finds

Tori Bowie, an American sprinter and long jumper who won three Olympic medals and two world titles in the sport, died at the age of 32 in early May as a result of childbirth complications, as per a report in USA Today. She was in labour at the time of her death, her agent Kimberly Holland said. 

As per the agent, she was at her Florida home at the time of her death. "Unfortunately, so many people, including the media, are making speculations that she did something to herself, which is very hurtful. So hopefully, now knowing the truth, there will be many apologies," she told the outlet.

According to an autopsy report accessed by USA Today, Ms Bowie was almost eight months pregnant and had a "well-developed fetus". She was undergoing labour at the time of her death last month. As per the officials, possible risks for the athlete included respiratory distress and eclampsia, a condition in which a person suffers seizures after experiencing a sudden increase in high blood pressure during pregnancy.

The Orange County Medical Examiner Officer determined that the cause of death was natural.

Ms Bowie was found dead at her home after the sheriff's office reported going there "for a well-being check of a woman in her 30s who had not been seen or heard from for several days." 

At the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, the sprinter took home three medals- gold in the 4x100-meter relay, silver in the 100-meter relay and bronze in the 200-meter race. She also bagged the gold medal in the 100-meter race and the 4x100-meter relay at the 2017 World Championships. The World Athletics Championships in 2019, where she was placed fourth in the long jump, was her most recent major international competition. Her last official competition was in June 2022.