The biggest race of Nikki Hiltz’s career is coming soon, but the middle-distance runner who identifies as transgender and nonbinary said that racing to a spot on the U.S. Olympic team held a special significance because it came at the end of Pride Month.
Hiltz, 29, whose sex was assigned as female at birth, earned a ticket to the Paris Games with a meet-record time of 3:55.33 in the women’s 1500-meter final of the U.S. Olympic trials on June 30. The performance easily beat the previous Olympic trials record, which was 3:58.03 set by Elle St. Pierre at the 2021 U.S. track and field trials. St. Pierre finished third on Sunday to also earn a spot on Team USA along with the second-place finisher, Emily Mackay.
“This is bigger than just me,” Hiltz told NBC. “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. I could just feel the love and support.”
A down to the wire finish in the 1500m results in an Olympic Trials record for Nikki Hiltz! 🤯 #TrackFieldTrials24 pic.twitter.com/FlkjDZj4uh
— NBC Olympics & Paralympics (@NBCOlympics) July 1, 2024
Runners like Hiltz who were assigned female at birth do not face the same restrictions for women’s divisions as transgender athletes…
