Nikki Hiltz, a biological female who identifies as transgender non-binary, qualified for the U.S. Olympic team on Sunday after winning the women’s 1,500-meter race at the trials over the weekend.
Hiltz set the meet record with their run. Hiltz clocked in at 3 minutes and 55.53 seconds, breaking the mark set by Elle St. Pierre in 2021. Hiltz also won the 1,500-meter race at the 2023 U.S. Championships.
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Nikki Hiltz wins the women’s 1,500-meter final with a meet record 3:55.33 during day 10 of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Carl Davaz/For The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK)
“I told myself, I’m not going to think about all the love and support (I have) until 100 meters to go,’” Hiltz said, via Runner’s World. “And then, at that moment, you can let it all fill you up and push you to the finish line.’ That’s exactly what I did, and I think that’s what brought me home.”
Hiltz also noted that it was the last day of Pride month.
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Nikki Hiltz reacts after winning the women’s 1,500-meter race in a meet record 3:55.33 during the US Olympic Team Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on June 30, 2024. (Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)
“I literally can’t believe it. I mean, this is bigger than me,” Hiltz said in an interview with NBC Sports. “It’s the last day of Pride month. I wanted to run this one for my community, and yeah, all the LGBTQ folks. You guys brought me home that last hundred [meters]. I could just feel the love and support.”
Hiltz continued their celebration on Monday.
“Woke up an Olympian,” they said.
Nikki Hiltz wins the women’s 1,500-meter final with a meet record 3:55.33 during day 10 of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, Oregon, on Sunday, June 30, 2024. (Carl Davaz/For The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK)
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Hiltz raced collegiately at Oregon and Arkansas in the mid-2000 and was an All-American in 2018. Hiltz won a silver medal in the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, and a gold in the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.
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