LOS ANGELES – Olympic medallist and former 100m world champion Tori Bowie died due to complications from childbirth, an autopsy report has found, according to US media outlets on Monday.

Bowie, 32, was found dead at her home in Orange County, Florida, in May after local authorities conducted a well-being check on her following concerns from friends and family.

USA Today reported on Monday that the Orange County Medical Examiner Office found that she was eight months pregnant and in labour at the time of her death.

The report said officials believed Bowie may have suffered complications, including respiratory distress or pre-eclampsia, a condition linked to high blood pressure that causes seizures.

American broadcaster BET (Black Entertainment Television) responded to the result of the autopsy by highlighting the difficulties black women in America face during pregnancy.

“Black women die at exceedingly higher rates due to pregnancy-related complications,” it wrote on its Twitter account, saying that US-born black women suffer from higher rates of pre-eclampsia than those from other backgrounds.

“They face a much higher risk of maternal death due to various reasons, including chronic stress and implicit bias from health care providers. There is so much work to be done to properly protect and advocate for black women’s health.”

News of Bowie’s demise plunged the world of track and field into mourning. She had anchored the US team to a gold medal in the 4x100m relay at the 2016 Rio Olympics, where she also earned silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m.

She won the 100m at the World Championships in London the following year and remains the lone American woman to win an Olympic or world 100m title since Carmelita Jeter in 2011.

“A talented athlete, her impact on the sport is immeasurable, and she will be greatly missed,” United States Track and Field chief executive Max Siegel said in a statement.

“I wish you could feel how much respect I have for Tori Bowie,” her teammate, English Gardner, told The Guardian after Bowie’s death. “I wish you could feel how amazing of a competitor she was.”

US sprinting great Justin Gatlin paid tribute to Bowie as a “fierce competitor and great teammate”.

“Tori was a beautiful human being and had a smile that made you want to smile too,” he added. “A true legend that made her mark in our sport and hearts.” AFP