Tori Bowie, the world champion US sprinter and former athlete was found dead in her home in May due to childbirth complications at the age of 32, an autopsy report noted, terming her cause of death as natural.
Her death due to the complication was also confirmed by her agent.
Bowie won 4x100m relay gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016, plus 100m silver and 200m bronze.
Kimberly Holland, Bowie’s agent told CBS News that speculation over her death had been “very hurtful”.
“So hopefully, now knowing the truth, there will be many apologies,” said Holland.
Bowie was found dead in Orlando, Florida, as the local Sheriff’s department attended “a well-being check of a woman … who had not been seen or heard from in several days.”
A report from Orange County Medical Examiner’s Office, the US sprinter was eight months pregnant and she died while giving birth.
It remains unknown whether her family or friends knew about her pregnancy.
According to the report, the possible causes of death included respiratory distress and eclampsia —a rare complication of pre-eclampsia that can cause seizures and strokes.
BET, a broadcaster highlighted childbirth complications in Black women in the US.
US-born Black women experience far higher rates of pre-eclampsia than those from other backgrounds.
“Black women die at exceedingly higher rates due to pregnancy-related complications,” BET wrote on Twitter.
“We face a much higher risk of maternal death due to various reasons including chronic stress and implicit bias from health care providers. There is so much work to be done to properly protect and advocate for Black women’s health.”
In 2017, Bowie was even more successful: she added another relay gold at the World Athletics Championships in London and won individual gold in the 100m, beating Ivory Coast’s Marie-Josée Ta Lou in a photo finish.
“I had no idea. All I knew was I wanted to give it everything I’ve got,” Bowie said after her victory.
“Am I really world champion?”
Born and raised in Mississippi, Bowie played basketball as a girl and won state titles in the 100m, 200m and long jump.
“I remember just racing everywhere as a child, like in the trees, wherever … I raced all the time,” she told the Guardian in 2017.
“I wish you could feel how much respect I have for Tori Bowie,” her USA teammate, English Gardner, told the Guardian after Bowie’s death. “I wish you could feel how amazing of a competitor she was.”
