Jamaican Olympian and former Arkansas All-American Kemoy Campbell is retiring from professional running seven months after he collapsed while pacing the Millrose Games 3,000m in February. The 28-year-old revealed in an Instagram post on Thursday that he has been advised not to compete again as a result of the heart issue that nearly ended his life.

“I have given my all to this sport,” he wrote. “It has taken me to places I have never dreamt of going. It gave a shy boy from a rural area in Jamaica the opportunity to prove himself to the world. I believe I have done my part.”

Doctors told Campbell that he was fortunate to survive after his heart stopped just over five laps into the race on February 9, 2019, at the Armory in New York City. While the medical staff was never able to determine the exact cause of the incident, an internal defibrillator was implanted in Campbell to maintain normal heart rhythm. He spent over two weeks in the hospital.

In his post, the 2017 5,000m World Championship finalist included a photo of him running up front in the fateful Millrose Games race, writing, “So it’s farewell to competing. That is why I leave you all with this third image in the slide. That’s where it all ended for my career as a runner and I am glad I was in the front haha.”

“Thanks to everyone who came together to help get through this. Whether emotionally, physically, spiritually, or financially. I love you all. Don’t worry either I still wear a big smile on my face,” he wrote.

Campbell’s career-high point came in that World Championship final two years ago in London where he placed 10th in the 5,000m. He holds Jamaican national records in the 3,000m, 5,000m and 10,000m. 

As he mentioned on Instagram, Campbell was never able to achieve his goal of becoming the first Jamaican to medal in a distance event at the Olympics, but nonetheless, his legacy as a trailblazer for a country known almost exclusively for sprinting will always set him apart.

Campbell said he intends to stay involved in the sport in the future.

“It’s time that I play another role in this sport.”