After a strong performance at the USATF Indoor Track and Field Championships over the weekend, Tori Bowie is now set to take on the World.
Tori finished runner-up in the 60 meter dash at the U.S. Indoor Championships on Saturday in Portland, with a time of 7.15 seconds in the final, to qualify for the U.S. team at the Worlds. Her finish and qualification for Worlds extends Tori’s stay in the Pacific Northwest, where the IAAF World Indoor Championships will also be held this coming weekend.
Tori was fastest in both her preliminary heat and her semifinal race, logging times of 7.19 and 7.14 respectively to qualify with ease for the final. The 7.14 time was her fastest of the weekend, one hundredth of a second off the 7.13 Barbara Pierre posted in her semifinal heat. TB noted that she was biding her time in the early rounds with an eye on Pierre for the final.
“The first round is just prelims, the goal is to get top three and just execute the start – I’m focusing on that a lot this season for sure. I’m going to have to master it in order to do well – in order to make the team and in order to make the Olympics,” she said. “I saw Barbara Pierre’s race – she looked fantastic. But you know, for sure, we’re going to give you guys a good show tomorrow.”
The two American sprinters did just that in the final, with Tori challenging Pierre in a way that pushed Pierre to log a 7.00 time in the 60m final to win, sending both ladies to Worlds.
At the World Indoor Championships, TB will be looking to follow up what was an impressive showing for her at the 2015 World Outdoor Championships, where she was the only American female to make the 100 meter final, where she ran a 10.86 and placed third to earn her first international medal. But Tori isn’t satisfied with third place in the world in 2015, she wants to be the best in 2016.
“I know there’s better to come in the future,” she said. “Right now I’m focused on being the fastest woman in the world. I feel like I’m in good position to take gold at the Olympics.’’
The 2016 Indoor season is helping her to hone in on that goal, specifically by forcing her to start races faster, which has been an achilles heal for the 25-year-old sprinter early in her career. With that in mind, Tori has spent time training with Lance Brauman as well as a strength and conditioning coach, and believes she’s improved her starts to the point where she thinks 2016 can be her best year yet.
“I’m excited,’’ she said. “We’ve seen a lot of improvement. Lance brought someone in to make sure we’re doing things correct. It’s made a huge difference. It’s the fastest I’ve ever been in my life.’’
The 2016 World Indoor Track and Field Championships begin on Thursday, March 17 at the Oregon Convention Center in Portland. The heats, semifinals and finals in the Women’s 60-meter dash are all scheduled for Saturday, March 19, with the heats slated for the morning session and the semi-final and final races slated for Saturday evening.
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