Jennifer Simpson (

née A birth name is the name of a person given upon birth. The term may be applied to the surname, the given name, or the entire name. Where births are required to be officially registered, the entire name entered onto a birth certificate or birth re ...

Barringer; born August 23, 1986) is an American middle distance

runner Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

and

steeplechase Steeplechase may refer to: * Steeplechase (horse racing), a type of horse race in which participants are required to jump over obstacles * Steeplechase (athletics), an event in athletics that derives its name from the steeplechase in horse racing ...

r. She represented the United States at the

2008 Beijing Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and also known as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes from 204 Nat ...

, 2012 London Olympics and 2016 Rio Olympics. She is a former American record holder for the

3000 metres steeplechase The 3000 metres steeplechase or 3000-meter steeplechase (usually abbreviated as ) is the most common distance for the steeplechase in track and field Track and field is a sport that includes athletic contests based on running, jumping, a ...

. In the

1500 metres The 1500 metres or 1,500-metre run (typically pronounced 'fifteen-hundred metres') is the foremost middle distance track event in athletics. The distance has been contested at the Summer Olympics since 1896 and the World Championships in Athletic ...

, she won a gold medal at the 2011 World Championships, a silver medal at the

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

and 2017 World Championships, and a bronze medal at the

2016 Olympic Games ) , nations = 207 (including IOA and EOR teams) , athletes = 11,238 , events = 306 in 28 sports (41 disciplines) , opening = 5 August 2016 , closing = 21 August 2016 , opened_by = Vice President Michel Temer , cauldron = Vanderlei Cordeiro d ...

in Rio.

Running career

High school

As a student at Oviedo High School, Jenny Barringer was a 5-time state champion in track and 3-time state champion in cross country. On 3 February 2018, Oviedo High School renamed their track Jenny Simpson Track in her honor. She also set Florida high school records in the mile, two-mile, 5000 m, and three-mile. Barringer finished 3rd in San Diego's

Foot Locker Cross Country Championships The Eastbay-Foot Locker Cross Country Championships are a series of annual cross country running races held in various regions of the United States to determine the premier cross country runner in various age groups, but mainly serves to find the ...

in 2003 behind winner Katelyn Kaltenbach of Colorado and Marie Lawrence of Nevada. In the regional, Barringer came on strong and won for the second straight year in identical times of 17:27, becoming the first Florida girl to ever win the Footlocker South regional twice. She finished 10th in San Diego's Footlocker cross country national championship in 2004.

Collegiate

At Colorado, Barringer won the 2006 NCAA Outdoor championship steeplechase in a time of 9:53.04. The following year, she won the USATF Outdoor steeplechase championship in 9:34.64. She finished 7th in heats at IAAF World Outdoors in the steeplechase in a time of 9:51.04. She finished 7th at the NCAA Outdoors in 2007 in the steeplechase with a time of 9:59.81. She also ran at Drake Relays in the steeplechase in a time of 9:44.31. In April 2007, she finished 4th in 5,000m at Stanford in a time of 15:48.24. At the time of her 2008 Olympic appearance, Barringer was enrolled at the

University of Colorado The University of Colorado (CU) is a system of public universities in Colorado. It consists of four institutions: University of Colorado Boulder, University of Colorado Colorado Springs, University of Colorado Denver, and the University of Co ...

. At the U.S. trials, Barringer qualified for the United States Olympic team by finishing third in the steeplechase. Barringer qualified for the first women's steeplechase final in Olympic history by finishing third in her heat. She set a new American record of 9:22.26 in the final and placed ninth. In 2009, she set NCAA records in the mile, 3000 m, and 5000 m indoors, 1500 m, 3000 m steeplechase and 5000 m outdoors. She also topped her own American record in the steeplechase at the 2009 World Championships with a time of 9:12:50, finishing 5th overall. While primarily a steeplechaser, she ran 3:59.90 in the 1500 m at the 2009

Prefontaine Classic The Prefontaine Classic, an Oregon Track Club event, is one of the premier track and field meets in the United States, held in Eugene, Oregon. Every year it draws a world caliber field to compete at Hayward Field on the campus of the University ...

. At the time of the event, this performance made her the third-fastest female 1500 m runner in U.S. track and field history. Barringer came fifth at the

2009 World Championships in Athletics The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg ...

, running a

North American North America is a continent in the Northern Hemisphere and almost entirely within the Western Hemisphere. It is bordered to the north by the Arctic Ocean, to the east by the Atlantic Ocean, to the southeast by South America and the Ca ...

record time of 9:12.50 minutes for the event. It is also the best mark by any athlete from

the Americas The Americas, which are sometimes collectively called America, are a landmass comprising the totality of North America, North and South America. The Americas make up most of the land in Earth's Western Hemisphere and comprise the New World. ...

. She was the 2009 US Champion in the steeplechase. While at

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of t ...

, she won the

Honda Sports Award The Honda Sports Award is an annual award in the United States, given to the best collegiate female athlete in each of twelve sports. There are four nominees for each sport, and the twelve winners of the Honda Sports Award are automatically in th ...

as the nation's best collegiate female track and field athlete in 2009. Despite the fact that she could have signed a professional contract, Barringer returned to school in the fall of 2009 to compete in cross country. On October 31, 2009, Barringer captured the

Big 12 The Big 12 Conference is a college athletic conference headquartered in Irving, Texas, USA. It consists of ten full-member universities. It is a member of Division I of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) for all sports. Its f ...

individual title, running a 6-kilometer course in 20 minutes, 27.46 seconds. She was favored to win the NCAA Cross Country Championship on November 23, 2009, but collapsed after leading for the first two miles. She wound up in 163rd place. Barringer commented that she felt light headed all of a sudden. Barringer won the Inaugural Bowerman Award in 2009. The Bowerman Award is given to college track's Athlete of the Year.

Professional

In January 2010, Barringer signed a multi-year endorsement deal with

New Balance New Balance Athletics, Inc. (NB), best known as simply New Balance, is one of the world's major sports footwear and apparel manufacturers. Based in Boston, Massachusetts, the multinational corporation was founded in 1906 as the New Balance Arch ...

. Barringer later changed coaches from her

University of Colorado at Boulder The University of Colorado Boulder (CU Boulder, CU, or Colorado) is a public research university in Boulder, Colorado. Founded in 1876, five months before Colorado became a state, it is the flagship university of the University of Colorado sys ...

coach, Mark Wetmore, in favor of the

Air Force Academy An air force academy or air academy is a national institution that provides initial officer training, possibly including undergraduate level education, to air force officer cadets who are preparing to be commissioned officers in a national air forc ...

coach Juli Benson. Barringer missed most of the 2010 season due to a stress reaction in her right

femur The femur (; ), or thigh bone, is the proximal bone of the hindlimb in tetrapod vertebrates. The head of the femur articulates with the acetabulum in the pelvic bone forming the hip joint, while the distal part of the femur articulates with ...

. She married runner Jason Simpson on October 8, 2010, taking on Simpson as her last name from that date. Simpson began the 2011 season strong, winning the mile and

3000 meters The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

championships at the 2011

USA Indoor Track and Field Championships The USA Indoor Track and Field Championships is an annual indoor track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. In years which feature a World Indoor Championships in ...

. She qualified for the

2011 World Championships in Athletics The 13th IAAF World Championships in Athletics () was an international athletics competition that was held in Daegu, South Korea. It started on 27 August 2011 and finished on 4 September 2011. The United States topped the medal standings in th ...

by finishing second in the 1500 meters at the US Track and Field Championship. Simpson won a gold medal at the 1500 meters at the World Championships in a time of 4:05:40. She beat rivals Hannah England and Natalia Rodriguez. Simpson's gold medal was considered a surprise. She became the first American woman to win the event since Mary Decker at the inaugural World Championships in 1983. On July 1, 2012, Simpson qualified for the

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012) was an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

with a third-place finish in the women's 1500 m at the 2012 United States Olympic Trials. At the

, Simpson qualified for the 1500 meter semifinal in 4:13.89 but did not qualify for the final. She announced a return to coach Mark Wetmore in December 2012.

2013

Simpson claimed the USATF Outdoor 5000 meter title in 15:33.77 in the 95+ degree heat of Des Moines, Iowa on June 23. Simpson won a silver medal at the 2013 World Championships in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

on August 15, 2013, in the 1500m with a time of 4:02.99. Simpson won the September 22, 2013

Fifth Avenue Mile The Fifth Avenue Mile is an annual road race on Fifth Avenue in New York City, United States. The race begins at 80th Street and heads twenty blocks south to 60th Street. First held on September 26, 1981, the race is currently organized by ...

in 4:19.3. * 1st at Drake Relays 1500m (4:03.35) * 1st at USATF Oxy HP 800m (2:00.45) * 1st at USA Outdoors 5,000m (15:33.77) * 3rd at Madrid 800m (2:02.15) * 1st at Monaco 1500m (4:00.48) * 2nd at World Outdoor 1500m (4:02.99) * 7th at Zurich 5,000m (14:56.26) * 10th in Brussels 1500m (4:10.70)

2014

Simpson was runner-up at the Boston New Balance Indoor Grand Prix 2 mile after miscounting her laps to finish in 9:26.19 on February 8. Simpson followed that performance with a 2nd-place finish in 27:57 at the US Cross Country Championship on February 15. At the

on May 31, she improved her personal best in the 1500 to 3:58.28. Simpson won the 1500 meters at the 2014 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in 4:04.96. On July 4, Simpson became the 2nd fastest American 1500 meter runner by running 3:57.22 at a

Diamond League The Diamond League is an annual series of elite track and field athletic competitions comprising fourteen of the best invitational athletics meetings. The series sits in the top tier of the World Athletics (formerly known as the IAAF) one-day mee ...

race in Paris. With two wins late in the season, including a dramatic diving finish at the

Weltklasse Zürich Weltklasse Zürich ( en, World Class Zurich) is an annual, invitation-only, world-class track and field meeting at the Letzigrund in Zürich, Switzerland, generally held at the end of August or beginning of September. Previously one of the IAAF G ...

, she won the 2014 IAAF Diamond League. On September 13, 2014, Simpson repeated her 2013 win of the

in 4:19.4. At the end of the year she was selected as the winner of the

Jackie Joyner Kersee Award The Jesse Owens Award (also the Jackie Joyner-Kersee Award for the female version of the award) is an annual track and field award that is the highest accolade given out by USA Track & Field (USATF). As the country's highest award for the sport, ...

. *May 18: 4:00 2nd at Shanghai Diamond League *May 31: 3:58 4th place at Eugene Diamond League *June 14: 4:02 3rd at New York Diamond League *June 29: 4:04 1st USATF Champs *July 5: 3:57 2nd place at Paris Diamond League *August 21: 4:00 1st Stockholm Diamond League *August 28: 3:59 1st at Zurich Diamond League *Sept 5th: 8:29 4th at Brussels Diamond League *September 13: 4:19.4 at Fifth Avenue Mile

2015

Simpson won the Boston

New Balance Indoor Grand Prix The New Balance Indoor Grand Prix, formerly known as the Boston Indoor Games, is an annual indoor track and field meet which is held in late January or early February at the Reggie Lewis Track and Athletic Center. It was first held in Roxbury, a ...

2 mile in 9:18.35 on February 7, setting a new American record, 5 seconds ahead of Regina Jacobs' 2002 American record at the same event, 9:23.38. At the

on May 30, she won in a season best in the 1500 opener to 4:00.28. At the

USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships The USA Track & Field Outdoor Championships is an annual track and field competition organized by USA Track & Field, which serves as the American national championships for the sport. Since the year 1992, in the years which feature a Summer Oly ...

Eugene, Oregon Eugene ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Oregon. It is located at the southern end of the Willamette Valley, near the confluence of the McKenzie and Willamette rivers, about east of the Oregon Coast. As of the 2020 United States Census, Eu ...

Simpson won the 1500m in 4:14.86, and will represent the U.S. for the 1500m in the

2015 World Championships in Athletics The 2015 IAAF World Championships ( zh, 第十五届世界田径锦标赛), the fifteenth edition of the IAAF World Championships, were held from 22 to 30 August at the National Stadium in Beijing, China. Forty-three nations won medals, 144 of ...

in Beijing, China in August. At the Herculis

meet at

Stade Louis II The Stade Louis II () is a stadium located in the Fontvieille district of Monaco. It serves primarily as a venue for football, being the home of AS Monaco and the Monaco national football team. The stadium is most notable for its distinctive n ...

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

Simpson ran 3:57.30, just .18 off

Mary Slaney Mary may refer to: People * Mary (name), a feminine given name (includes a list of people with the name) Religious contexts * New Testament people named Mary, overview article linking to many of those below * Mary, mother of Jesus, also calle ...

's nearly 32-year-old American record before the race. During that same race, a second ahead of her,

Shannon Rowbury Shannon Rowbury (born September 19, 1984) is an American middle-distance runner from San Francisco, California. After competing collegiately for Duke University, she turned professional in 2007. Rowbury has represented the United States at the ...

improved the American record to 3:56.29 and

Genzebe Dibaba Genzebe Dibaba Keneni ( Oromo: ''Ganzabee Dibaabaa Qananii''; Amharic: ገንዘቤ ዲባባ ቀነኒ; born 8 February 1991) is an Ethiopian middle- and long-distance runner. A 1500 metres 2016 Rio Olympics silver medalist, she won a gold med ...

improved the

world record A world record is usually the best global and most important performance that is ever recorded and officially verified in a specific skill, sport, or other kind of activity. The book ''Guinness World Records'' and other world records organization ...

to 3:50.07. At the

2015 World Championships in Athletics – Women's 1500 metres The women's 1500 metres at the 2015 World Championships in Athletics was held at the Beijing National Stadium on 22, 23 and 25 August. Summary Abeba Aregawi of Sweden entered as the defending champion, although her preparations that year were ...

in Beijing, China, Simpson finished 11th in the final round after losing her shoe and struggled, finishing in 4:16.28. On September 11, at the

finale in

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Simpson placed 4th in the mile in 4:22.18, just behind

who finished in 4:22.10. On September 13, Simpson placed 1st in a time of 4:29.0 at

New York Road Runners New York Road Runners (NYRR) is a non-profit running organization based in New York City whose mission is to help and inspire people through running. It was founded in 1958 by Ted Corbitt with 47 members and has since grown to a membership of more ...

in New York City. By the end of the year, she ran the

standard for the 2016 IAAF World Indoor Championships in the

3000 metres The 3000 metres or 3000-metre run is a track running event, also commonly known as the "3K" or "3K run", where 7.5 laps are run around an outdoor 400 m track, or 15 laps around a 200 m indoor track. It is debated whether the 3000m shoul ...

at the Zürich

2016

Simpson won a bronze medal in the 1500 meters at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, to become the first American woman to win an Olympic medal in that event. On September 3, Simpson placed 1st in a time of 4:18.3 at the

in New York City.

2017

Simpson ran a 4:19.98 mile, finishing 5th at the London Anniversary Games on July 9, 2017, behind Hellen Obiri and

Laura Muir Laura Muir (born 9 May 1993) is a Scottish middle- and long-distance runner. She is the 2020 Tokyo Olympic silver medallist in the 1500 metres, having previously finished seventh in the event at the 2016 Rio Olympics. Muir won the bronze meda ...

, Winny Chebet and Angelika Cichocka, setting a personal record, and second fastest time ever for an American woman. She won her second silver medal in the World Championships 1500m event on August 7, 2017, at the 2017 World Championships, finishing in 4:02.76, less than 0.2 seconds behind

Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon Faith Chepngetich Kipyegon (born 10 January 1994) is a Kenyan middle-distance runner specializing in the 1500 metres. A 2016 Rio Olympic and 2020 Tokyo Olympic champion with the Games record at the latter, she is the second woman in history t ...

. Simpson capped her 2017 campaign with a record-setting win at the

. In addition to achieving a record sixth Fifth Avenue title, she tied the longstanding meet record with a time of 4:16.6.

2018

Simpson won the Fifth Avenue Mile again in 2018 making it six straight and seven total Fifth Avenue titles.

2019

On September 8, Simpson bettered her best time for the Fifth Avenue Mile in the 2019 race, running 4:16.1, to give her sole possession of the event record. It was her seventh straight win and her eighth title in the event.

2021

On June 21, 2021, she finished tenth in the 2021 U.S Olympic Trials 1500 meter run with a time of 4:07.76, failing to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. This is the first time she failed to make a national team since she made the team in 2007.

Competition record

International

National championships

NCAA championships

Diamond League wins

* Herculis: 2013 (1500 m) *

DN Galan BAUHAUS-galan, formerly known as DN-Galan is an annual, international athletics meeting that takes place at the Olympic Stadium in Stockholm. Previously it was one of the five IAAF Super Grand Prix events until 2010, and has since been part of th ...

: 2014 (1500 m) *

: 2015 (1500 m) *

Golden Gala Golden Gala is an annual track and field event normally held at the Olympic Stadium in Rome, Italy. Previously one of the IAAF Golden League events, it is now part of the Diamond League. Following the 2013 death of Italian sprinting legend Pie ...

: 2015 (1500 m)

Personal bests

References

External links

* *
Diamond League profile

{{DEFAULTSORT:Simpson, Jennifer 1986 births Living people American female middle-distance runners American female steeplechase runners Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2016 Summer Olympics Colorado Buffaloes women's track and field athletes People from Webster City, Iowa People from Oviedo, Florida World Athletics Championships medalists Track and field athletes from Iowa Sportspeople from Seminole County, Florida Track and field athletes from Florida World Athletics Championships athletes for the United States Medalists at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in track and field Colorado Buffaloes women's cross country runners Diamond League winners USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships winners USA Indoor Track and Field Championships winners World Athletics Championships winners