The issue of transgender athletes competing in sports remains a frustratingly heated debate, but Nikki Hiltz, a middle-distance runner for the U.S. team, is breaking through all of the noise — literally. On August 10, she became the first openly transgender or non-binary person to compete in the women’s 1,500-meter final. USA Today In the report, and in the Olympic individual finals, Axios.
“I know I’m the first, but I certainly won’t be the last,” Hiltz said. USA Today. “So I hope I can make it a little easier for any non-binary people who come after me.”
Of course, that first was just one of many historic honors in a long list of Hiltz’s accomplishments on and off the track. Here’s everything you need to know about this running superstar.
1. Their US Team Paris 2024 qualifying race was record-breaking.
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At the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon, in June, the 29-year-old Hiltz crossed the finish line in a meet record of 3:55:33, the second-fastest time ever for an American in the women’s 1,500 meters. (In Paris, she placed third in the semifinals in 3:56:17 and seventh in the final in 3:56:38.)
Emotional Instagram postHiltz said that winning the Trials had been a “childhood dream” and that they were “overwhelmed by all the love and support” they had received. The timing of the race was also particularly important to Hiltz. NBC Sports“This isn’t just about me. It’s the last day of Pride Month and I wanted to run this race for my community. LGBTQ people, you all carried me to the last 100 meters. I felt the love and support.”
2. The 1,500 meters isn’t the only running event in which they dominate.
Hilts, who serves as a brand ambassador for Lululemon, won the 1,600 meters at California State in 2012 as a high school student and was a seven-time All-American track and field star at the University of Arkansas. She also broke the American women’s mile record (4 minutes 16.35 seconds) at the Monaco Diamond League in 2023.
3. They came out on International Transgender Day of Visibility in 2021.
On March 31, 2021, International Transgender Day of Visibility, Hilts Instagram Revealing the personal news, she wrote, “Hello, I’m Nikki and I’m transgender, which means I don’t identify with the gender I was assigned at birth. The word I currently use to describe my gender is non-binary. The best way to describe my gender is that it’s fluid. Some days I wake up feeling like a powerful queen, other days I wake up just a man, and other times I identify as completely outside of the gender binary. It’s complicated and intricate and something I’m still trying to figure out, but I’ve decided it’s time to share my gender fluidity with all of you.”
