The issue of trans athletes competing in sport has remained, frustratingly, a heated debate. But Nikki Hiltz, a Team USA middle-distance runner, is sprinting through—quite literally—alllll that noise: On August 10, they became the first openly trans or nonbinary person to compete in the women’s 1,500-meter final, as USA Today reports, as well as in the Olympic final in an individual event, per Axios.
“I know I’m the first, but I’m definitely not the last,” Hiltz told USA Today. “So I hope I can make it a little bit easier for the next non-binary person to come after me.”
Of course, that first is just one history-making accolade in Hiltz’s winding list of impressive achievements—both on and off the track. Here’s everything you need to know about this running superstar.
1. Their Team USA Paris 2024 qualification race was record-setting.
At the 2024 US Olympic Trials for track and field in Eugene, Oregon back in June, Hiltz, who’s 29, sped across the finish line in a meet-record time of 3:55:33—the second-fastest 1,500-meter time in the women’s race ever by an American. (In Paris, they finished the semifinal third in 3:56:17, and seventh in the final with a 3:56.38.)
In an emotional Instagram post, Hiltz noted that the Trials win was “a childhood dream” and that they were “overwhelmed by all the love and support” they received. The timing of the race was also particularly important for Hiltz. As they told NBC Sports, “This is bigger than just me. It’s the last day of Pride Month, and I wanted to run this one for my community. All the LGBTQ folks, you guys brought me home that last 100 (meters). I could just feel the love and support.”
2. The 1,500-meter isn’t the only running event they dominate in.
Hiltz, who is a Lululemon brand ambassador, won the 1,600-meter California state title in 2012 when they were in high school, and is a seven-time All-American track star from their time at the University of Arkansas. They also broke the American women’s record for the mile—4:16.35 seconds!—during the Monaco Diamond League back in 2023.
3. They came out on the International Transgender Day of Visibility in 2021.
On March 31, 2021—the International Transgender Day of Visibility—Hiltz took to Instagram to reveal some personal news “Hi I’m Nikki and I’m transgender. That means I don’t identify with the gender I was assigned at birth. The word I use currently to describe my gender is non-binary. The best way I can explain my gender is as fluid. Sometimes I wake up feeling like a powerful queen and other days I wake up feeling as if I’m just a guy being a dude, and other times I identify outside of the gender binary entirely. It’s complicated and complex and something I’m still trying to navigate myself, but I’ve decided it’s time to share my gender fluidity with you all.”
For Hiltz, coming out publicly meant they had to field a barrage of ignorant comments online—but it also opened a door for them as well. “Maybe there’s an opportunity to change someone’s mind about something,” Hiltz told The Washington Post. “Or maybe someday if that person has a kid and that kid is nonbinary, they’re like, ‘Oh, I’ve heard of that before.’ I don’t think we’re ever going to change our society or the way we think by just being like, ‘F*ck you,’ and then, ‘Well, f*ck you!’ The middle—it’s like the nonbinary place to be. It’s where the change can be made.”
4. Their partner is also a badass runner.
Hiltz, who does a big chunk of their training in high-elevation Flagstaff, Arizona, hosts a virtual Pride 5K in the mountain town with their partner, Emma Gee, who ran track at Brigham Young University (BYU). Gee was raised Mormon and attended the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, she explained in an Instagram post. During her time at the famously religious school, she struggled with suicidal ideation “because I wasn’t sure I could ever belong anywhere if I couldn’t manage to belong in the culture I was raised in.”
After working with mental health professionals, Gee decided she wanted to “recommit to prioritizing my well-being” and opted to come out while in school in April 2018. Though the convo was super difficult with her family, BYU’s athletic administrator, her coach, and her teammates were all supportive, she noted in an essay she wrote for Outsports.
5. Hiltz is a staunch advocate for trans rights, but they acknowledge the role can be tough sometimes.
Hiltz has admitted that being such a prominent LGBTQ+ figure in the running community can be a lot of weight to bear at times: They told Runner’s World that, when they had failed to make the Tokyo Games in 2021, they felt they had bore a lot of the educational burden among runners on what it means to be nonbinary.
Still, the power and leadership Hiltz holds as a record-breaking trans athlete is palpable—and they continue to be a voice of motivation among the LGBTQ+ even amid the hate and “should they compete?” debate. “There’s a lot of ignorance and hate out there right now,” Hiltz posted on Instagram this past week. “For those who identify as nonbinary or trans and are doing cool things in the world (which is most likely all of you because all queer people are cool AF) remember you are magic and that it’s not the critic who counts. I love you. I need you. I see you. Keep going.”
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Related:
- Taking Testosterone and Getting Top Surgery Did Wonders for My Mental Health
- The Olympic Games Look A Lot More Joyful This Year—And We’re All for It
- Let Them Play: The Case for Trans Kids in Sports
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