Olympic medalist Jenny Simpson Ends Career After Cardiac Arrest

Olympic bronze medalist and former world champion Jenny Simpson announced Thursday that she will never run again following a cardiac arrest in June, citing a diagnosis of arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy (ARVC).

Simpson, 39, collapsed while pacing a mile group at a pop-up event in North Carolina on June 21. She received CPR and an automated external defibrillator before being transported to UNC Rex Hospital, where she suffered a second cardiac arrest.

In an Instagram post, Simpson said the inherited condition—which causes heart muscle cells to die and be replaced by scar tissue—made returning to running too dangerous. “My heart was severely injured and stunned,” she wrote.

Simpson, who retired from competitive racing after the 2024 season, won 1500m gold at the 2011 World Championships and bronze at the 2016 Rio Olympics. She also earned silver medals in the event at the 2013 and 2017 World Championships.