Olympic medallist Jenny Simpson says she will not run again after suffering two cardiac arrests and being diagnosed with a rare inherited heart condition.
The 39-year-old American collapsed in June while pacing a mile group at a pop-up event in North Carolina. She needed cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and an automated external defibrillator before being taken to UNC Rex Hospital in Raleigh, where she suffered a second cardiac arrest.
Simpson, who became 1500m world champion in 2011, said her heart and lungs had been seriously affected by the incident.
“My heart was severely injured and stunned. My lungs struggled too,” Simpson said in an Instagram post on Thursday.
Doctors diagnosed her with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC), a rare genetic condition that affects the heart muscle.
ARVC occurs when the proteins responsible for holding heart muscle cells together do not function properly. As a result, heart muscle cells can die and be replaced by fatty and scar tissue.
The condition can cause the walls of the heart chambers to become thin and stretched, reducing the heart’s ability to pump blood around the body.
Simpson said the diagnosis meant returning to running would be unsafe, although she remained optimistic about the future.
“My future is an incredible gift. It’s hopeful, and it will continue to have great purpose,” Simpson said.
“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 retired from competitive racing at the end of the 2024 season after a career that included major international success.
She won 1500m gold at the 2011 World Championships and took bronze in the same event at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.
The Colorado-born athlete also won silver medals in the 1500m at the 2013 and 2017 World Championships.
Looking back on her career, Simpson said she was thankful for the experiences she had both in training and at the biggest championships.
“I’m profoundly grateful that I got to have the career I did,” added Simpson.
“I experienced everything – from the trenches of training to standing on the top of the podium while our national anthem filled the stadium.”
Simpson’s collapse came after she had already stepped away from competitive racing, but she had continued to be involved in running by pacing athletes at events.
Her latest statement confirmed that the cardiac arrest and subsequent ARVC diagnosis have brought her time as a runner to an end. However, she said the conclusion of her sporting career would not define the rest of her life, describing her future as hopeful and full of purpose.
