Transgender, non-binary athlete Nikki Hiltz qualifies for Olympics with Team USA – and Megan Rapinoe leads celebrations on social media
Nikki Hiltz, a transgender non-binary runner, qualified for the U.S. Olympic team after winning the women’s 1,500-meter trail race this past weekend.
Hiltz, a biological woman who identifies as transgender non-binary, set the meet record with her run of 3 minutes, 55.53 seconds, breaking the record set by Elle St. Pierre in 2021.
They also won the 1,500 meters at the 2023 U.S. Championships, a precursor to their Olympic participation.
Hiltz’s partner is another groundbreaking athlete, Emma Gee, the first openly LGBTQ+ athlete to compete for Brigham Young University.
Like many distance runners, the two live in Flagstaff, Arizona, where they are often seen on the area’s many trails. Track Town USA has called Gee and Hiltz one of the sport’s “power couples.”
Nikki Hiltz, who identifies as transgender non-binary, qualified for the U.S. Olympic team
Megan Rapinoe shared this achievement despite the negative reactions to her stance on trans athletes.
Emma Gee and Nikki Hiltz react after Hiltz won the women’s 1500m final at the US Trials
This achievement was shared by USWNT legend Megan Rapinoe on her Instagram.
However, Rapinoe only celebrated after a reporter silenced her when asked about her stance on transgender athletes competing in women’s sports.
During Pride Month festivities in Seattle, the retired midfielder was approached by Post Millennial reporter Katie Daviscourt.
“Your US women’s soccer team recently lost to high school boys… Do you really think it’s fair for these boys to compete in girls’ sports?” Daviscourt asked.
Halfway through the question, Rapinoe is seen smiling at the reporter, before turning to her fiancée, Sue Bird, and muttering under her breath, “Oh my God.”
Despite being blocked, Daviscourt continues: ‘Do you think it’s fair? Why should transgender people have to compete with young girls? Do you think they’ll get hurt?’
Rapinoe, who has been vocal about transgender athletes, has been criticized for her silence when her stance has been challenged.
Hiltz and Gee (right) live in Flagstaff, Arizona and are both elite distance runners
Gee (left) and Hiltz are seen together after the former completes the first five-minute mile
Hiltz set the meet record with their run of 3 minutes and 55.53 seconds during the Olympic trials
Hiltz also won the 1,500-meter race at the 2023 U.S. Championships before qualifying for Paris
Hiltz’s situation is different, however, as they have retained their biological sex from a physical standpoint. Nevertheless, the runner celebrated his Olympic qualification – which took place on the last day of Pride Month.
“I told myself I wouldn’t think about all the love and support (I have) until I was 100 meters from the finish line,” Hiltz said, via Runner’s World . “And then, in that moment, you can just let it all flow and push yourself to the finish line. That’s exactly what I did, and I think that’s what got me home.”
“I honestly can’t believe it. I mean, this is bigger than me,” Hiltz told NBC Sports. “It’s the last day of Pride Month. I wanted to do this for my community, and yeah, for all the LGBTQ people. You guys gave me that last hundred [meters]. I could just feel the love and support.’
Hiltz competed at collegiate level in Oregon and Arkansas in the mid-2000s, earning All-American honors in 2018. They also won a silver medal at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, and gold at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
“I woke up feeling like an Olympian,” Hiltz said Monday as the festivities continued.