Some flames really do burn twice as bright and half as long — and
nobody proves that better than the young Olympians who died far, far too soon.
One of the more versatile and decorated athletes in recent history, American track and field star
Tori Bowie dominated in three separate events at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. In
the 4x100-meter relay, the three-time University of Southern Mississippi standout and all-American
took home a gold medal; she also scored a silver medal in the 100-meter race and a bronze medal
in the 200-meter contest. A year later, at the 2017 World Track and Field Championships,
Bowie won first place in the 4x100-meter and the 100-meter races. In 2019, Bowie just
missed out on a medal at the World Championships, finishing in fourth place in the long jump event.
"This is what is always on my mind, and I feel like whatever's on your
heart and your mind is what you're supposed to be doing."
Sadly, on May 3th, 2023, her agency broke the news of Bowie's death on
Instagram. She had been found dead in her Florida home, though the cause of
death remains unknown. The three-time Olympic medalist was just 32 years old.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Sarah Tait represented her home nation of Australia
as a member of the eight-woman rowing team. Tait and her squad finished in sixth place,
outside of medal contention; they also finished sixth at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. She
fared better at the World Rowing Championships, however, taking home gold and silver at events in
2005, as well as a bronze at the 2011 competition. After switching to the two-person rowing event,
Tait and partner Kate Hornsey won the silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.
In 2014, Tait took a leave of absence from rowing to attend to her health, having been diagnosed
with cervical cancer the previous year. In March 2016, the Olympic medalist died at the age of 33.
Going into the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Georgia's Nodar Kumaritashvili ranked 44th in the
world in his event, the luge. An elite form of sledding, the sport involves athletes laying
on their backs as they glide feet-first down a twisting track at tremendously high speeds. In
the week before the games, Kumaritashvili got in a few practice runs at the Whistler Sliding Centre.
On his fifth run,the athlete's luge reached a speed of about 90 miles per hour — so fast
that he was no longer able to steer correctly. He crashed into a side wall and ricocheted back,
sending his body over an icy, solid concrete wall, then hit a vertical support beam.
Kumaritashvili was quickly transported to a hospital,
where he was pronounced dead. He was 21 years old,
and his death occurred just hours before the 2010 Winter Olympics opening ceremonies;
his fellow Georgian athletes paid tribute in the festivities by marching in black armbands.
Born in Norway, Alexander Dale Oen took up swimming as a child. By the age of 23,
he was competing for his country in the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In the 100-meter
breaststroke event, Dale Oen won a silver medal; soon after, he began to rack up wins at other
major global competitions. At the 2011 swimming world championships in Shanghai, Dale Oen won a
gold medal in his specialty event, marking the first-ever world title for a Norwegian swimmer.
"Seems like we've done a pretty good job these last five or six months, so."
In 2012, the 26-year-old Dale Oen decamped to an Olympic training facility in Flagstaff, Arizona,
to prepare for the upcoming Summer Games in London. After one training session, however,
he was discovered on the floor of his bathroom, having apparently collapsed. He was pronounced
dead at the facility's medical center. The cause of death? A sudden cardiac arrest.
Michigan-based Chris Reed teamed up with his sister, Cathy Reed, to become a dominant pair
in the winter sport of ice dancing. They competed across the U.S. and won a national amateur title
in 2006. Born to an American father and Japanese mother, the Reeds then represented Japan,
earning another seven titles and competing in eight ice dancing world championships.
Chris and Cathy Reed both participated in the 2010 and the 2014 Winter Olympics,
but didn't rack up scores high enough to earn a medal. After Cathy retired from the sport,
Chris Reed returned to the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, with
partner Kana Muramoto. Together, they won three national titles and finished 15th at the Games.
Reed retired in 2019. He planned to segue into coaching and choreographing
routines for Japanese ice dancers, but never got the chance. On March 14th,
2020, Reed died from an undiagnosed cardiac issue. He was 30 years old.
At the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, Denis Ten made history as the first figure
skater from Kazakhstan to win a medal in that sport. After capturing a silver medal at the
2013 world championships, and just before taking home a bronze at that competition in 2015, Ten
dazzled on figure skating's most prominent stage. He finished ninth in the short program section of
the men's singles event, but then took third place in the free skating portion — enough to give him
an overall third-place finish and a bronze Olympic medal. Ten returned to the men's figure skating
events in the 2018 Winter Olympics in PyeongChang, South Korea, but managed only a 27th-place finish.
A few months after his second Olympics, Ten was in the Kazakhstan capital of Almaty when
he encountered two men attempting to steal the mirrors of his car. An altercation ensued,
and one of the men stabbed Ten in the thigh. He lost a substantial amount of blood,
and was subsequently rushed to a local hospital. A few hours later, the skater died at the age of 25.
After injuries ended her running career at 17 years old, Kelly Catlin turned to cycling
and rapidly moved up to world-class status. Only four years after taking up the sport,
she competed in the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Her event:
team pursuit, in which two teams race on a velodrome, a curved indoor track.
"I guess the Olympics was really surreal,
because when you're there, you just can't believe you're there."
Catlin helped her team secure a silver medal in the event, and she also raced for three
straight world championship-winning squads in 2016, 2017, and 2018.
Catlin endured injuries in two cycling incidents in late 2018,
breaking her arm and suffering a concussion. The athlete attempted suicide in January
2019 and took time away from racing for the sake of her mental health,
withdrawing from the 2019 Track Cycling World Championships. In March 2019,
according to Catlin's family, the Olympian took her own life. Catlin was 23 years old.
If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts,
please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).