Nonbinary runner Nikki Hiltz dedicates record-breaking Olympic qualifier to 'all the LGBTQ folks'


PATRICK SMITH/GETTY IMAGES

Hiltz was in fourth place with 300 meters left before they suddenly accelerated past their competition, breaking the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials record.

RYAN ADAMCZESKI
JULY 01 2024 

Nikki Hiltz isn't just breaking records — they're breaking barriers.

The out transgender nonbinary runner qualified for the Paris Olympics on Sunday after completing the 1500-meter race at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field trials with a record time of 3 minutes and 55.33 seconds. Hiltz was in fourth place with 300 meters left before they suddenly accelerated past their competition, cutting down their previous personal best by four seconds.

“I told myself, I’m not going to think about all the love and support [I have] until 100 meters to go,’” Hiltz told reporters afterwards. “‘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 won their title at the 2023 USA Track & Field Outdoor National Championship in a similar fashion, rocketing from third to first place in the last 300 meters. Their victory also made them the organization's first nonbinary national champion.

Hiltz came out transgender and nonbinary in 2021 in a post to Instagram. They said at the time: “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.”

Hiltz told NBC Sports in an interview after the race that they were also motivated by the "love and support" they've received from the LGBTQ+ community, saying: "This is bigger than me."

“It’s the last day of Pride month. I wanted to run this one for my community, and yeah, all the LGBTQ folks," Hiltz said. "You guys brought me home that last hundred [meters]. I could just feel the love and support.”