Allyson Felix says there is a ‘black maternal mortality crisis’ after Tori Bowie’s passing

Former Team USA track star Allyson Felix has urged her country to ‘do more’ in the wake of former teammate Tori Bowie’s death. 

Bowie was found dead last month at 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.’

Per the report, Bowie could have experienced respiratory distress or eclampsia, a rare condition which can cause seizures.

Tributes have poured in for 2016 three-time Olympic medalist, who was described as a ‘Queen’ by Sha’Carri Richardson. On Tuesday, Felix shared a post by fellow 2016 4x100m gold medalist Tianna Madison. 

‘THREE of the FOUR of us who ran on the SECOND fastest 4x100m relay of all time, the 2016 Olympic Champions have nearly died or died in childbirth,’ Madison’s post began. 

Allyson Felix shared a post made by 4x100m teammate Tianna Madison regarding maternity

Felix, English Gardner, Tianna Madison (Bartoletta) and Tori Bowie celebrate gold at Rio 2016

Felix responded via her Instagram story, reiterating the statistic before saying; ‘It’s absolutely heartbreaking. 

‘We continue to face a black maternal mortality crisis in this country. We have to do more.’

Bowie, Felix, Madison and English Gardner are all African-American women. Felix suffered from life-threatening pre-eclampsia while 32 weeks pregnant and had to give birth via an emergency cesarean section.

Madison detailed 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 directive AND my will,’ she wrote. 

Bowie gratefully gestures after the Women’s 100m Final on Day 8 of the 2016 Olympic Games

 Bowie, died on May 2 at the age of 32  in Florida, and was reportedly in labor at the time

‘Additionally I had a VERY tough conversation with [her partner] about who to save if it came down to it. I was NOT AT ALL confident that I’d be coming home,’ she added.

An AP report from March revealed black women had the highest maternal mortality rate and cited the CDC statistic; 69.9 per 100,000 live births for 2021.

AP deduced this was born out of pre-existing health issues, combined and somewhat induced by ‘racial health disparities.’

The quarter of Felix, Gardner, Madison and Bowie won at Rio 2016 with a time of 41.01 seconds, ahead of Jamaica and Great Britain.