Olympian Jenny Simpson suddenly collapses on track during all-comers event
Washington DC - Jenny Simpson, an Olympic bronze medallist and former 1,500m world champion, has shown "encouraging improvement" after she collapsed at an all-comers meeting in North Carolina, sponsor Fleet Feet said on Thursday.
The athlete suddenly collapsed as she paced a mile group at the Pop Up Miles event in Raleigh, organized by the Sir Walter Running Group.
Runner's World and LetsRun reported that Simpson was without a pulse for a period for a time but that it was restored with CPR and an automated external defibrillator before she was taken to the hospital.
On Thursday, specialist running retailer Fleet Feet, which Simpson represents, said the 39-year-old remained in hospital where "she has shown encouraging improvement and continues to exhibit the strength and resilience that have long defined her".
"True to form, she has already asked about her mile time and whether she won," Fleet Feet said in a statement posted on Instagram.
Simpson, who retired from elite competition in 2024, was the 1,500m world champion in 2011 and won 1,500m bronze at the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.
Cover photo: Jewel SAMAD / AFP