Former US track and field star Allyson Felix mourns ‘black maternal moral crisis’ following Tori Bowie’s death
- Bowie died on May 2 and was ‘in labor at the time of her death’
- Two of her teammates in the 2016 4x100m have described their pregnancy problems
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Former teammate Allyson Felix of Team USA has urged her country to “do more” in the wake of the death of former teammate Tori Bowie.
Bowie was found dead last month at the age of 32. An autopsy report from the Orange County (Florida) Medical Examiner’s Office obtained by USA TODAY Sports said the Olympian was “undergoing labor at the time of her death.”
According to the report Bowie may have had respiratory distress or eclampsiaa rare condition that can cause epileptic seizures.
Tributes have poured in for three-time 2016 Olympic medalist, who was described by Sha’Carri Richardson as a “queen.” On Tuesday, Felix shared a message from fellow 2016 4x100m gold medalist Tianna Madison.
“THREE out of FOUR of us who ran the SECOND fastest 4×100 meter relay of all time, the 2016 Olympic champions, have nearly died or died in childbirth,” Madison’s post began.
Allyson Felix shared a message from 4x100m teammate Tianna Madison about pregnancy
Felix, English Gardner, Tianna Madison (Bartoletta) and Tori Bowie celebrate gold at Rio 2016
Felix responded via her Instagram story, repeating the statistic before saying; “It is absolutely heartbreaking.
“We are still facing a black maternal mortality crisis in this country. We must do more.’
Bowie, Felix, Madison and English Gardner are all African American women. Felix suffered life-threatening pre-eclampsia while 32 weeks pregnant and had to deliver via emergency c-section.
Madison described her own difficult pregnancy in the same post Tuesday.
“Even though I went into labor at 26 weeks, we went to the hospital with my medical advance AND my will,” she wrote.
Bowie gestures with gratitude after the women’s 100m final on day 8 of the 2016 Olympics
Bowie, died May 2 at age 32 in Florida, reportedly in labor at the time
“Plus, I had a VERY heavy conversation with [her partner] about who to save when it comes down to it. I had NO confidence at all that I would come home,” she added.
A AP report revealed as of March that black women had the highest maternal mortality rate and cited the CDC statistic; 69.9 per 100,000 live births for 2021.
The AP concluded that this stemmed from pre-existing health problems, combined and caused somewhat by “racial health disparities.”
The quarter of Felix, Gardner, Madison and Bowie won in Rio 2016 with a time of 41.01 seconds, ahead of Jamaica and Great Britain.