By Isaac Gibson
Before Tori Bowie raced the 200 meters Saturday afternoon at the Prefontaine Classic, her coach gave it to her straight. “I am sick and tired of seeing you run 22 seconds,” he said. “I know you’re capable of 21.”
She was.
Bowie broke the tape in 21.99, becoming the 10th American woman to break the 22-second barrier.
Bowie’s time of 21.99 makes her the world leader in both the 100 meters and 200 meters this year. “It gives me a ton of confidence going into the trials,” Bowie said. “Because I know that I still have so much that I can improve on.”
Bowie’s fast times are coming as no surprise to her because she has been able to pinpoint and work on her biggest crutch. “My blocks have been my weakest point out of everything I’ve done,” she said. “Right now I’m healthy, so I can get blocks in like two or three times a week, and it’s making a ton of difference.
“I’m still learning, and I don’t know how fast I can run. I learn something new every day – the sky is the limit when it comes to what I’m capable of doing.”
Behind Bowie was Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands, who was the world champion in the 200 meters last year. She finished in a time of 22.11, followed by Elaine Thompson of Jamaica in 22.16 and former Oregon Duck Jenna Prandini in 22.61.
Bowie has beaten the world champion two times now this season.
“It doesn’t matter to me right now,” she said. “this is just another meet for us to train and continue to work on what we need to work on.” To Bowie, beating Schippers only matters when it comes to championship time.
With the Olympic trials around the corner, Bowie has to decide what events she wants to make her primary focus. “If it were up to me – I would choose one event,” Bowie said. “But my team is so stuck on me running two events, so I’m just going to put my trust in them during this process.” As of now, the plan for Bowie is to run the 100 and 200.
Despite having so much success in the sprints, Bowie’s favorite event is still her original one. “My favorite event is the long jump,” she said. “This running thing…” She stopped and took a deep breath. “…is a lot of work,” she said, laughing.
Bowie will run another meet next week in Jamaica. “I think I’ll be doing a 100 meter. Thankfully.”
