US Olympian Tori Bowie was reportedly pregnant when she died earlier this week.
Bowie passed away at the age of 32 after an excellent career on the track, winning gold at the Rio Olympics in 2016, before becoming the world's fastest woman the following year.
She featured at the Qatar World Championships in 2019 but that was her last appearance on the international stage. Her body was found at her Florida home on Tuesday after a welfare check was carried out by Orange County deputies.
Although Bowie did not publicly confirm she was expecting, the Mail reports multiple neighbours said she appeared to be 'around seven or eight months pregnant' when she died.
One of the neighbours is said to have claimed Bowie looked like she had 'half a basketball under her shirt', such was her natural slim frame.
Tributes have poured in across the world of sport for the track and field star, who was also a long-jump champion during her time at university.
Former on-track rival Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce said: “My heart breaks for the family of Tori Bowie. A great competitor and source of light. Your energy and smile will always be with me. Rest in peace,"
Bowie's career came to a halt when she arrived at the Elite Athlete Training Center in California in January 2019 to train for the season ahead. She was denied entry to the building and told she would only be allowed entry if she settled an allegedly outstanding $6,000 payment.
Bowie went on to appear in the long jump at the World Championships that year and finished fourth. However, she did not even attempt to qualify for the Olympics in Tokyo.
Her cause of death is yet to be disclosed but a spokesperson for the Orange County Sheriff's Office confirmed deputies reported to her home to conduct a well-being check, as she had "not been seen or heard from in several days."
The spokesperson also confirmed there were no signs of foul play, with a full report of her death to follow in the coming weeks after her body has been examined.
A social media post from sister Tamarra Bowie added: "People who pretend to be happy have some of the saddest souls and people who do not try to convince the world that they are happy have the most genuine souls, because they are content with just being them for them and nobody else."
