Allyson Felix and Tianna Madison on Tori Bowie's death and Black maternal health care

Published April 19, 2024 at 8:40 AM CDT

United States' Tori Bowie celebrates after winning the gold medal in the Women's 100m final during the World Athletics Championships in London Sunday, Aug. 6, 2017. (David J. Phillip/AP)

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Last year on April 23, Olympic gold medalist and world-champion American sprinter Tori Bowie was found dead in her Florida home at the age of 32.

An autopsy found that the cause of death was complications related to childbirth. Bowie was 8-months pregnant.

Two of Bowie’s former teammates and friends — Allyson Felix and Tianna Madison — had near-death experiences during their own pregnancies. Following her death, they have shared their traumatic experiences and the wider crisis in Black maternal health.

Currently, the death rate for Black women during pregnancy is nearly three times higher than it is for white women.

Felix and Madison sat down for their first joint interview following Bowie’s death with host Celeste Headlee last year to talk about their experiences, their memories of Bowie and the wider crisis black women face in maternal healthcare in America.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.