WhenJenny Simpson won the 1500-meter Olympic bronze medal on Tuesday night in Rio de Janeiro, she added the one important accolade missing from her impressive list of accomplishments, which already includes world championships gold and silver. It was also the missing piece for Team USA, which until Simpson crossed the finish line, had never placed a woman on the podium in the event.

After taking a victory lap around the track in Olympic Stadium, Simpson, who turns 30 on August 23, shared a few thoughts on the race, Health - Injuries.

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“I’ve had races where I’ve gone to the front and been a protagonist in the race and really made something happen. Given my training and some of the different elements of the year for me, [my coaches] knew I’d be in the best position if I was in a position to see the medals and run them down. They told me that whenever somebody jumps to the front, go with them, look at where the medals are, and go get them.”

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“To be the first American woman to medal in the 1500 meters is something I have not allowed myself to think about until now. It just feels incredible. I want to be somebody that this country can really be proud to cheer for and I didn’t decide to want to be that person this week or this year. I wanted to be that person eight years ago and 10 years ago…this has been a long ride of highs and lows.”

3. Cleaning the sport of drug cheats.

“I had a stress fracture in my foot in December and so I had a lot of cross-training early on in the season. Going into the Olympic year, keeping my head in the game when I was in a pool or on a bike was more challenging for me than I thought it was going to be. Between the U.S. Olympic Trials and now, I had some of the best training of my life and then I got a cold right before I came [to Rio].”

4. Cleaning the sport of drug cheats.

“[Winning the medal] makes me feel amazing because I’ve done it honestly and clean and with everything that’s just inside my own body being expressed out on the track. To me that’s beautiful.”

5. Being terrified.

“I love how hard the 1500 meters is. I’m biased. I think it’s the hardest race on the track because you never know how it’s going to go. You don’t know if it’s going to be tactical, and it doesn’t matter if it’s tactical. The last 400 meters is always gut-wrenching. I think I thrive in that even though it’s really hard. Standing on the starting line, I’m terrified—I’m always terrified of it, but that last 100 meters is always a thrill for me. I just love the sport.”