Who was Tori Bowie?
Frentorish “Tori” Bowie was an Olympic gold medalist, who competed for Team USA at the Rio Olympics in 2016. The track and field star won gold in the 4×100 meter relay alongside teammates Tianna Madison (previously Bartoletta), Allyson Felix and English Gardner, and she also took home silver in the 100-meter and bronze in the 200-meter.
Born in Sandhill, Miss., the athlete was put into foster care at age 2 along with her older sister Tamarra, she told Women’s Running. Her life changed in a “major way” when grandmother Bobbie Smith became their guardian and passed on important life lessons to the girls.
“My grandmother told me a long time, ago I don’t care if you’re sweeping a porch for a living. She said, you need to do your best. So I’ve lived by that every single day,” Bowie told NBC News’ WLBT3 in 2016. “It’s not about where you’re from… It’s just about where we’re trying to go and what we’re trying to accomplish. And I’m trying to be that person, to show everyone there that it is possible.”
After attending Pisgah High School, she went on to study at the University of Southern Mississippi from 2009 to 2012, majoring in Interdisciplinary Studies, per the Team USA website. While in college, Bowie collected national titles in both the indoor and outdoor championships and was later inducted into the Southern Miss M-Club Hall of Fame for her talents.
Once the fastest woman in the world, she won three medals at two World Championships.
