Tori Bowie Wins 100m With Dramatic Dive At The Line Over Marie-Josée Ta Lou


By Johanna Gretschel - Flotrack

American Tori Bowie dove past Mari-Josée Ta Lou of Côte d'Ivoire at the finish line -- 10.85 to 10.86 -- to win the IAAF World Championships 100m final on Sunday night in London. 

The win marks Bowie's first individual global championship gold medal and followed Justin Gatlin's 100m gold on Saturday night, which gave the United States its first gold medal sweep of the event across both genders since the 2005 worlds, when Gatlin and Lauryn Williams combined for gold.


Defending world 200m champion Dafne Schippers of the Netherlands earned bronze in 10.96, while world leader and Olympic champion Elaine Thompson finished just fifth in 10.98. Thompson -- the overwhelming favorite for gold in London -- had the slowest reaction time of the entire field and could not recover. Jamaica's golden girl swept both the 100m and 200m at the Rio Games, but opted to run only the 100m in London.


A hush went through the stadium immediately following the race, as it was unclear whether Ta Lou, who ran from lane four, or Bowie, who came on strong late in the race from lane seven and stumbled across the finish line with a dramatic lean, had earned the win.

"I had no idea," Bowie said of her reaction upon diving across the finish line. "I give all the glory to God."

Check out the photo finish and full results below:

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Bowie said she has not decided whether or not she will contest the first round of the 200m on Tuesday. Read more about her medal chances in that event here.

The 26-year-old earned silver in the 100m and bronze in the 200m at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games behind Thompson and Schippers, and took home bronze in the 100m at the 2015 IAAF World Championships. She won her first gold medal in Rio, thanks to her efforts on Team USA's 4x100m relay.