Tori Bowie wins silver in women's 100 behind new Jamaican sprint queen

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RIO DE JANEIRO — Two years ago, Tori Bowie forsook her beloved sport of long jump to focus on the 100-meter dash. Now she has an Olympic medal to show for it.

Bowie earned a silver in the race for the fastest woman in the world, won by Jamaica’s Elaine Thompson in a time of 10.71 at the Rio Games on Saturday. Countrywoman Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce, who was looking to win a third consecutive gold in the event to set an Olympic record for most 100-meter victories, surprisingly took bronze in 10.86.

English Gardner, the other American in the finals, placed seventh in 10.94.

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The 25-year-old Bowie turned into an elite sprinter after she devoted her training to the 100-meter dash, knowing the career of three-time Olympic medalist Carmelita Jeter was near its end. Bowie was likely to qualify in long jump for the London Games until her jaw was broken on the periphery of a nightclub fight.

She returned and cracked the elite in a sport where shaving even hundredths of a second can mean the difference between being fast and Olympic glory. Bowie learned, in the best way possible, how precious those fractions of a second truly are.