Tori Bowie: Images of sprinter’s gold medal at Rio 2016 Olympics resurface after her death

Highlights of Tori Bowie’s sprint to take home gold at the 2016 Rio Olympics have resurfaced after news of her death emerged on Wednesday, as fans marvel at the track and field athlete’s participation in the second fastest 4x100m relay of all time.

The 32-year-old ran the fourth leg in the relay and held the US on top with the mighty Jamaicans, overpowering Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce after taking over from England’s Gardner as she ran home for gold.

The American women, consisting of Bowie, Gardner, Tianna Bartoletta and Allyson Felix, took the victory in 41.02 seconds.

Bartoletta, the team’s first runner, even waited for Bowie for a wild hug and to celebrate the second-fastest time in history after the world record set by Felix and Co. won gold in London in 2012.

For Bowie, it was her first gold medal in what was her first and only participation in an Olympic Games.

Bowie crossed the finish line 41.02 seconds into the race, the second best time ever

‘I looked. I mean, I realize we’re leading in the number of medals. I mean, when you consider how big our country is, I’m not that surprised,” she said with a laugh at the time.

It was Bartoletta’s second gold in Rio after also winning the long jump.

Just one year later, in 2017, Bowie won the 100 meters at the 2017 World Championships in London. She also helped the 4×100 team to gold.

“USATF is deeply saddened by the passing of Tori Bowie, three-time Olympic medalist and two-time world champion,” USA Track and Field CEO Max Siegel said in a statement Wednesday.

“A talented athlete, her impact on the sport is immeasurable, and she will be sorely missed.”

The US women’s team consisted of Bowie, Tianna Bartoletta, English Gardner and Allison Felix

Bowie won gold in the women’s 100m sprint in London at the 2017 World Championships

Growing up in Sandhill, Mississippi, Bowie was persuaded to take to the track as a teenager and quickly rose as a sprinter and long jumper. She attended Southern Mississippi where she won the 2011 NCAA long jump championships in the indoor and outdoor events.

Bowie was taken in by her grandmother as a baby after being left in foster care. She considered herself a basketball player and only reluctantly showed up for the job, but Bowie learned quickly and became a state champion in the 100, 200 and long jump before attending college.

Her first major international medal was a bronze medal in the 100 meters at the world championships in 2015. After winning, she said, “My grandmother has told me all my life that I could do whatever I set my mind to.”

In a post on Twitter, Icon Management posted a photo of Bowie holding her hands in the shape of a heart.

The management company wrote: ‘We have lost a client, dear friend, daughter and sister. Tori was a champion… a beacon of light that shone so brightly! We are truly heartbroken and our prayers are with the family and friends.”