‘THAT CHAPTER HAS ENDED’

U.S. Olympic Star Retires After Shocking Cardiac Arrest

The medalist said returning to running would be too dangerous.

U.S. Olympic track athlete Jenny Simpson has revealed she will never run again after surviving a cardiac arrest during a training session in June. Simpson, 39, collapsed while running in North Carolina, requiring CPR and an automated external defibrillator before being rushed to the hospital. Doctors later diagnosed her with arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy, which caused her heart to stop. “My future is an incredible gift. It’s hopeful, and it will continue to have great purpose,” Simpson wrote on Instagram. “But my diagnosis also means it would be dangerous for me to return to running. That chapter has ended. Thankfully, my story hasn’t.” She asked fans not to tell her they feel sorry for her. “Please tell me you’re glad that I’m here,” she wrote. “That’s how I feel-so glad that I’m still here.” Simpson won bronze in the 1,500 meters at the 2016 Rio Olympics and captured the world championship in 2011. She also earned world silver medals in 2013 and 2017 and previously held the American record in the 3,000-meter steeplechase.