U.S. Olympic medalist Jenny Simpson has revealed that her legendary running career is over after a terrifying medical emergency nearly cost her life.
The 39-year-old track star said she collapsed while pacing a mile group in North Carolina in June after her heart suddenly stopped.
Simpson was given CPR and shocked with an automated external defibrillator at the track before being rushed to a hospital.
Now, weeks after the frightening incident, Simpson says doctors have diagnosed her with a rare heart condition that makes returning to competitive running too dangerous.
In an emotional Instagram post Thursday, Simpson revealed she has arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, a condition that can interfere with the heart’s electrical system and trigger dangerous abnormal heart rhythms.
Simpson explained that scar tissue in her heart disrupted those electrical signals — ultimately causing her heart to stop.
The diagnosis means the decorated runner must walk away from the sport that made her one of America’s most accomplished middle-distance athletes.
“My future is an incredible gift. It’s hopeful, and it will continue to have great purpose,” Simpson wrote.
“But my diagnosis also means it would be dangerous for me to return to running. That chapter has ended. Thankfully, my story hasn’t.”
Simpson also had a powerful request for fans who may be struggling to find the right words after her near-death experience.
“Please do not say that you’re sorry or that you feel bad for me,” she wrote.
Instead, Simpson said she wants people to tell her they are happy she survived.
“If it is true in your heart, please tell me you’re glad that I’m here,” she said. “That’s how I feel — so glad that I’m still here.”
Simpson leaves the sport with an impressive résumé.
She won the bronze medal in the women’s 1,500 meters at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.
She was also the 1,500-meter world champion in 2011 and captured silver medals at the world championships in 2013 and 2017.
Before becoming an international star, Simpson was a multiple-time national champion at the University of Colorado.
She also previously held the American record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.
While Simpson may never race competitively again, she made clear that she considers herself fortunate to have survived — and believes another chapter of her life is only beginning.
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