USM’s Tori Bowie headed to Rio Olympics

Former Southern Miss standout Tori Bowie is headed to the U.S. Summer Olympics.

Bowie earned a spot on the U.S. Olympic team with a time of 10.78 in the Women’s 100 meter run Sunday at the U.S. Track and Field Trials.

It will be the first Olympic appearance for Bowie.

Her time of 10.78 seconds tied Tianna Bartoletta for third place, four seconds behind English Gardner’s mark of 10.74.

Earlier in the semifinals, Bowie breezed into the finals of the 100 meters with a fast semifinal time Sunday at the U.S. Track and Field Trials.

Bowie won her heat in 10.74 seconds in the semifinals.

The Rankin County native is considered a favorite to win the 100 meter race at the Rio Olympics, which take place from August 5 to August 21 in Brazil.

The next step for Bowie is the 200 meter race. The first round of women’s 200 takes place at 5:30 p.m. Friday. Should Bowie advance, the semifinals are 7:03 p.m. Saturday and the finals at 7:11 p.m. next Sunday.

Bowie holds the fastest time in the U.S. for the 200-meter run this year, posting a time of 21.99.

This story was originally published July 3, 2016 at 8:08 PM with the headline "USM’s Tori Bowie headed to Rio Olympics."