Former 1500m world champion Jenny Simpson says she will not return to running after she collapsed during a track event in June.
Simpson, a three-time Olympian and one of the most accomplished American female runners in history, was pacing a mile group at an event in North Carolina when she went into cardiac arrest. She was given CPR before she was rushed to hospital, where she was placed on life support due to issues with her heart and lungs.
In an Instagram post on Thursday, the 39-year-old said she was diagnosed with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a condition that triggered “dangerous heart rhythms that ultimately caused my heart to stop.”
She said the condition means it would be dangerous for her to return to running. “That chapter has ended,” she said. “Thankfully, my story hasn’t.”
Simpson works in an executive role for running company Fleet Feet and says she still feels a strong connection to her sport.
“You might be wondering what would be the right thing to say to me after an event like this,” she wrote. “Please do not say that you’re sorry or that you feel bad for me. If it is true in your heart, please tell me you’re glad that I’m here. That’s how I feel – so glad that I’m still here.”
Simpson represented the United States at three Olympics in Beijing, London and Rio de Janeiro, winning bronze in the 1500m in 2016. At the time, she was the first American woman to medal in the event.
She was the 2011 world champion in the 1500m and later won silver medals in the event at the 2013 and 2017 world championships. She claimed 11 US titles before retiring from elite running in 2024.