T&FN INTERVIEW Tori Bowie by Sieg Lindstrom ori Bowie may have been undersell- Sprint surprises had been ing herself in London last summer as nothing new since ’14. That she soaked in the reality of her World year, Bowie sprang to a new LJ ChampionshipsT gold-medal run—bumped PR, 22-9¾ (6.95) indoors, but and bruised but all smiles after her victorious then after placing last in the dive at the line. World Indoor qualifying round “I bet I’m the only person in the world made a propitious coaching who believed that I would come out here and switch to the tutelage of Lance win the 100 meters,” said the Mississippian Brauman, best known for his who turned 27 two weeks after the Worlds mentorship of sprinters. wrapped up. At the Eugene DL that year, Almost, anyway. Surely there were others Bowie long jumped, placing who believed in the Rio triple sprint medalist 5th, and though she was an who had anchored the U.S. 4x1 to Olympic unproven sprint quantity, gold—even with rival Elaine Thompson her agent, Kimberly Holland, riding a 14-meet win streak into the Worlds begged on her behalf for a 200 lane—and got lucky. Corridor 1 opened up and Bowie In A Nutshell Bowie filled it, dispatching a •Personal: Frentorish “Tori” Bowie (rhymes field that included Olympic with Louie) was born August 27, 1990, in champion Allyson Felix with a Jackson, Mississippi; 5-8¾/134 (175/61) world-leading 22.18. A world- • 60—7.11i; 100—10.78; 200—21.77; PRs: class sprint career was born. LJ—22-9¾/6.95i; TJ—42-11½/13.09i Long before that, Bowie •Schools: Pisgah HS (Sandhill, Missis- sippi) ’09; Southern Mississippi ’12; now has said, track saved her life, represents adidas from the chaos of unfocused adolescent life. •Coaches: Angela Reynolds HS; Adrian Ghioroaie Southern Mississippi; Craig She got an especially Poole (2013–14), Lance Brauman pro harrowing prod toward a (’14–present). wider world and the order “My goal is to focus more •Agent: Kimberly Holland and achievement offered by •Major Meets: 100—sf)NC ’12; sf)US ’13; the sport when, as a teen on the 200 this year. It sf)US ’14; 1)US, 3)WC ’15; 3)OT, 2)OG ’16; being raised by her loving would be lovely to have 1)US, 1)WC ’17 grandmother in the tiny town 200—1)OT, 3) OG ’16; 3)US ’17 of Sandhill, a street hoodlum a bye for the 2019 World —nq)NC ’09; 6)NC, 8)US ’10; 1)NCi, 1) LJ waved a gun in her face and NC, 15)US ’11; 13)NCi, 2)NC ’12; 4)US ’13; robbed her. Championships year.” 2)USi, nq)WIC ’14 Post-Rio there’s a street 60—2)USi, 6)WIC ’16 named after the local star in •World/U.S. Rankings: 100—’14—2/1; ’15—3/1; ’16—2/1; ’17—2/1; Sandhill, Tori Bowie Lane, 200—­ ’14—5/2; ’15—8/4; ’16—3/1; ’17—5/1 the street on which her alma LJ—’11—x/9; ’12—x/9; ’13—x/5; ’14—x/5 mater, Pisgah High, stands. Nationally, last fall Bowie stepped out into fashion, mod- century final. eling collections by Valentino What Bowie rode in on was three seasons of and the Pharrell Williams/ spectacularly rapid strides in the dashes after adidas Originals Hu line for shifting her focus from the long jump, the event ad campaigns. in which she won NCAA titles indoors and T&FN caught up with Bowie out in ’11 as a Southern Mississippi junior. for this chat after her first indoor

38 — February 2018 Track & Field News race in two years (7.14 for 2nd in the you’ve posted our January cover. How is the Millrose 60) and a stop in at New young season going for the current “Queen York Fashion Week 2018. of U.S. Sprinters”? Three days after that turn in the Bowie: Millrose was one of the fastest haute couture world, we asked after introduction pleasantries if she was still Life On The Catwalk in the Big Apple, or back In last fall’s off-season after her double-gold at her Clermont, Florida, World Championships, Bowie—who has said her training base. penchant for adorning herself with headbands and scarves at meets stems from a belief shared Bowie: No, I came with her sister Tamarra that “scarves symbolize back already. The show a crown”—got a determined start on her dream that I did over the week- of one day walking a modeling runway. end with [designer] Her move into the fashion world began with Taoray Wang was Sat- an ad campaign shoot for haute couture designer urday, but now I’m cur- Valentino. rently back in Florida. Bowie: The entire experience was new for T&FN: So you’re mak- me because I kind of thought modeling was ing the rounds among the just showing up, maybe take a picture here fashion crowd? Not just and there, but I realized through that experi- with Valentino? ence that it takes a ton of time and hard work. Bowie: Taoray Wang At the same time, it’s still fun. On the shoot is kinda new but her I got to meet [NBA star] Carmelo Anthony designs are so amazing. and a lot of models. Overall, the experience She invited me out to be was good. a guest and I attended It was in New York City and we started the show. It was an around 2:00pm and finished a little after amazing experience midnight. We did the shoot at a park and for me. we took pictures with a basketball [bearing T&FN: Don’t worry, a Valentino logo, of course], we played one- we’ll get to track & field on-one. It was fun. questions. But sounds like The photos are all over the Valentino In- you’ve got an intriguing stagram page and I have a few on my page, sideline going, and I know as well. nothing about fashion, you can ask my wife. So for this you appeared in openers that I’ve ever had in my career. I Wang’s clothes among the audience remember a couple years I opened up with at the show. Do you get to keep the a 7.28 and then a 7.24. As of right now, clothes? 7.14 has been the fastest opener that I’ve Bowie: Unfortunately, no. ever had in my career so I’m in a great That outfit, she asked for it back place and I just need to continue to be so maybe the next opportunity. consistent in what I’m doing. T&FN: How did you get in- T&FN: Outdoor is the season in which volved with fashion? you really seem to bring your best. What do Bowie: It’s just something you have in mind for this year’s? that has happened quite natu- Bowie: As far as the outdoor season, rally. I realized that I loved get- my goal is to focus more on the 200 this ting my nails done and changing year. It would be lovely to have a [200] bye up my hairstyles. for the 2019 World Championships year. Recently, I kind of want to But I know that right now I just have walk the runway. So I feel like I to continue to stay consistent in what I’m just wanted to give it a shot and doing and see what happens. see what happens [see sidebar]. T&FN: Last year at the Pre Classic you T&FN: It looks from your Ins- made a real statement in the 200: world- tagram account [@1toribowie] like leading 21.77 win over Shaunae Miller-Uibo, KIRBY LEE/IMAGE OF SPORT a lot’s happening. But I also see Elaine Thompson, Dafne Schippers and Al-

The Bible Of The Sport February 2018 — 39 T&FN: About that 200, though… Among Championships. So I still feel like there’s continued Bowie — Americans, in the last 20 seasons only Allyson still lots of potential there and this year I Felix, at the ’12 Olympic Trials, has run faster plan to race a little bit more to see what lyson Felix. than what you ran at Pre last year. Surely I can actually get out of it. Those are some heavy names, reigning that was a highlight of last season for you. T&FN: How would you compare the feeling Olympic gold medalists at 100, 200 & 400, plus Schippers is now a 2-time world 200 titlist and Felix, “We’ve been working of course, won 200 gold on my block starts in ’12 and at three World but I feel like Championships. Did you opt out of the I’m overthinking 200 in London because you everything” were scratched up and sore from your tumble at the end of the 100? Bowie: Yeah, I had a sore heel that was kind of swollen and everything and I felt that my best decision would be to sit out for two or three days to allow my body to fully recover before I got ready for the relay. I don’t feel like that was my last opportunity to do the double so there’s really no feelings there toward the situation. 2019

is around the corner and I j e ff coh n feel like I should be look- ing forward. Bowie: I consider that one of my most of winning the 100 world title in London—and T&FN: Do you feel that the 100 or 200 special moments. We had the top 5 or 6 then the relay—with bringing home a full set is your best event? Or do you not look at it fastest women in the world on the line of Olympic medals [100 silver, 200 bronze, that way? at that time. relay gold] from Rio in ’16? Bowie: I feel like the 100 is maybe my And I consider that one of my best Bowie: I don’t feel like you can actually best event but you know the long jump moments just simply because of what I compare the two. I feel like the Olympics is still one of the events that I completely could have actually run because I didn’t were so special, especially because I had enjoy. [Oh, really? See sidebar] do any more 200s after the National to wait so long to make the team. And I consider the world championship Bowie: Omigod, I am so hoping for the op- just a special moment Back To The Long Jump? portunity to do long jump 1A [laughs]. My plan because of just the will- Did you catch Tori Bowie’s comments earlier was to try to get through indoor and then try to ingness to fight and not in this interview? About the long jump? get some more long jump training underneath give up in that race, no If you thought the 2-time NCAA long jump my belt. I have not had many long jump sessions matter what happened. champ might have left the field event for good after [this winter], I have to be honest. I haven’t had I’m just filled with so winning 100 bronze at the ’15 World Champion- many but I did have a few. Not as many as I need much gratitude with ships, think again. Bowie is. to have in order to be able to compete at a high both achievements. level and be confident about it. T&FN: In retrospect, Bowie: As of right now I’d need to continue to put Yes, the long jump is an event that I do you still feel nobody but some more work in for that event. just completely enjoy overall, but the 100 and you believed you could win T&FN: Is Coach Brauman on the same page? 200 I’ve come to consider as my best events. that 100? T&FN: You have not contested a long jump Bowie: I think so. We’ve talked about it several Bowie: Umm, you since that breakout 200 day at the ’14 Pre Classic. times but I think the main focus as of right now know, I think that I was Might you long jump this year? is to continue to keep an eye on what’s ahead. wrong in making a state-

40 — February 2018 Track & Field News ment like that, and selfish. But I can say 100% effort no matter what happens. thankful for what she’s done. that I know most weren’t expecting that That’s something that I continue to just T&FN: Did she introduce you to sports? [laughs] but I do need to be extremely install inside my brain today: just do the Bowie: I kind of think that it was just considerate to the ones who actually best you can. The best you can is all we something that we grew up doing and thought it could happen. can do. I continue to live by that. it was quite natural. But I grew up with T&FN: Before the race was Lance Brauman T&FN: You’ve said many times that your like 13 cousins around me and we were

telling you that you were KIRBY L EE /IMAG E OF SPORT all around the same age. going to win it? Most of them were guys Bowie: It wasn’t just and they loved to hoop me that was racing in and we always raced the final. I had a training and, see who could jump partner there, as well, the farthest. and her name is Kelly- There was just always Ann Baptiste. some type of competi- So he sat there and told tion. With my cousins us both that no matter or just whoever my dad what happens he would would try to contend always be proud of us. with that day. And we just took that T&FN: You played comment and ran with it. basketball, too? T&FN: Shaunae Miller- Bowie: Yes, basket- Uibo is also in your group. ball was actually my first Like you, she won a major love, the first sport that I title, the Olympic 400, with fell in love with overall. a lean that planted her on But I had to kind of get the track at the end. Have a grip on life when I you compared scars from was preparing to go to those experiences? college. Bowie: No, we actu- I realized that—I was ally haven’t, and you a forward so I realized know, most of the time I my size wasn’t going to don’t even feel quite com- get me anywhere play- fortable talking about ing basketball. other athletes. So I think T&FN: Besides fashion, we should just move what are your interests forward with the next outside the track? question. Bowie: Just trying to T&FN: You’ve previ- relax and simply enjoy ously said that your whole life. Like they say, all attitude and your deter- work and no play, I do mination changed in 2014 not live by that [laughs]. when you hit the high of that T&FN: On the track is big long jump PR indoors It’s easy to forget that there any technical aspect but then the low of not Bowie was an NCAA of your races you want to making it out of the World work on this year? Indoor qualifying round. long jump champ Bowie: No, I don’t Bowie: I felt like a lot indoors and out think there’s anything of things changed over- to work on. We’ve been all. I came to a completely working on my block different situation, train- starts but I feel like I’m ing with a completely overthinking everything different group, so everything changed grandmother is your role model. When you and I just need to get out there and just at that point. were very young she fought to get you and make it happen. T&FN: What did you tell yourself as you your younger sister out of foster care and you That’s the point I’m at right now. I feel made that transition [from the Olympic train- went to live with her. like Millrose showed me where I’m at right ing center in Chula Vista]? Bowie: We sure did. We went to live now and I feel like my reaction and every- Bowie: I think when I moved here it with her at the age of 2. She rescued us thing is not the problem. I’m just going to was just all about effort, just giving that from foster care and we’re extremely stop overthinking everything.

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