Jenny Simpson was running in a community event when she collapsed and received CPR. Fabrice Coffrini / AFP via Getty ImagesJune 17, 2026 7:15 pm EDT Updated Jenny Simpson, a three-time Olympian and former world champion in the 1,500-meters, collapsed during an event in Raleigh, N.C., Tuesday night.Simpson, 39, was running in an open-participation community track event hosted by Sir Walter Running when the medical episode occurred. She was pacing the group in a mile-long run at the time.Organizers said in an Instagram post that Simpson underwent CPR at the track and that medical staff applied an automated external defibrillator before taking her to the hospital.
“We are incredibly grateful to the individuals who responded immediately, as well as EMS and the medical professionals who handled the situation with such care, urgency, and professionalism,” Sir Walter Running wrote on Instagram on Wednesday.As a collegiate runner at Colorado, Simpson became the only woman to break four minutes in the 1,500 meters during an NCAA season (3:59:90). That 2009 record still stands, according to Track and Field News. Simpson also won three NCAA championships in the 3,000-meter steeplechase and one in the indoor 3,000 meters. She was inducted into the Pac-12 Hall of Honor in 2022.Simpson ran for Team USA at the Beijing Olympics and the London Olympics, then won a bronze medal in the 1,500 meters at the Rio Olympics, becoming the first American woman to medal in the event. She also won the 1,500 meters at the 2011 World Athletics Championships and followed up with silver medals at the 2013 and 2017 championships.Jun 17, 2026Connections: Sports EditionSpot the pattern. Connect the termsFind the hidden link between sports terms
