Tori Bowie, an American sprinter and long jumper who won three Olympic medals and two world titles in the sport, has passed away, according to her agent Kimberly Holland.
She was 32.
Also Read| Who was Tori Bowie? Olympic gold medalist US track star dies at 32
Here’s all you need to know about Tori Bowie’s family:
Grandparents Bobbie Dennis Smith and Dennis Smith, sister Tamarra–
Bowie has consistently given the majority of the credit for her achievement to her grandmother, Bobbie Smith, 75. Bowie and her family are from Mississippi.
As newborns, Bowie and Tamarra, her 11-month-old sister, were placed in foster care. Smith (their paternal grand. mother) received formal custody of both of them shortly after.
Bowie said, “My grandmother has been the role model in my life. She ended up fighting for us, got custody of us. We didn’t have much, but something she did give was character,” as per Clarion Ledger.
Smith’s five children were embraced by her grandchildren. Tori and Tamarra still go to Smith’s residence in Rankin County’s remote Sandhill unincorporated township, where they call her “mama,” whenever they can.
Smith took her own grandmother as an example when deciding whether to adopt Tori and Tamarra.
Bowie, an all-American long jumper at Southern Miss and a multi-sport athlete at Pisgah High, made his debut as a sprinter in 2013. The track wasn’t completely alien to Bowie because he had competed in the 100 meters twelve times in college. She was a standout basketball player at Pisgah and also excelled in track and field.
Bowie, however, made a career turn in 2014. She ran the fastest time in her heat during the semifinals of the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a 10.91. Bowie cut 0.1 seconds off her time at the same competition the year before to qualify for the World Championships in Beijing, where she won the bronze medal.
Bowie qualified for the Rio Olympics last month; the games will start on Friday. On August 12, she will compete in her first race, the 100-meter preliminary. Tamarra, who currently studies law at Mississippi College and was a member of the track and field team at Southern Miss, will travel to Brazil. She claimed to have kept in touch with Tori frequently during the preparation for the Olympics.
