Three-time Olympian Jenny Simpson was rushed to the hospital after collapsing during a running event in Raleigh, North Carolina, on Tuesday.
Simpson, 39, was pacing a group at the Sir Walter Miler pop-up event on June 16 when she suddenly collapsed, authorities said.
According to Let’s Run, a track and field industry website, Simpson initially did not have a pulse before CPR was performed. She was then taken to a local hospital for treatment.
“Jenny is receiving excellent medical care, and our thoughts are with her and her family during this time,” organizers of the Sir Walter Miler event wrote on X on Wednesday, June 17.
Simpson is one of the most decorated American middle-distance runners of all time.
She won the bronze medal in the women’s 1500 meters at the 2016 Rio Olympics and was crowned world champion in the same event in 2011. She also won silver medals at the World Championships in 2013 and 2017.
Her long streak of elite international competition came to an end in 2021, when she placed 10th in the U.S. Olympic Trials 1500-meter run and failed to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. It was the first time since 2007 that Simpson did not make a national team.
In 2024, Simpson announced that she would retire from professional running after competing in the New York City Marathon. She finished 18th in the race.
Shortly afterward, she took on another major challenge by participating in the Great World Race, completing seven marathons on seven continents in one week, according to a post she recently shared on Instagram.
Since retiring from elite track competition, Simpson has remained closely tied to the running world.
Last year, she and her husband, Jason, traveled across the country in their motorhome, running races and connecting with the broader running community, according to Runner’s World.
Earlier this year, Fleet Feet named Simpson its first chief running officer.
News of her collapse has stunned fans and fellow runners, many of whom are now sending prayers and support as she receives medical care.