A biologically female athlete who identifies as “transgender non-binary” has made the cut for the US Olympic team after winning the women’s 1,500-meter race. Nikki Hiltz, 29, set a record with Sunday’s big win. Hiltz, also the 2023 US 1,500-metre race champion, completed the sprint in three minutes and 55 seconds on the tenth days of the US Olympic Track and Field Trials at Hayward Field in Eugene, OR, breaking Elle St. Pierre’s 2021 record. .The International Olympic Committee in 2021 deferred decisions about transgender participation to each sport’s own governing body. For track, those who went through male puberty are not allowed to compete against women, but those who underwent female puberty are allowed to compete against men if a gender declaration is signed. Non-binary athletes are not mentioned in the policy — however if the athlete is on hormone therapy, they aren’t allowed to compete, per NBC. The publication referred to Hiltz as "transgender non-binary" and used "they/them" pronouns to describe her, failing to mention anywhere in the article the athlete is a biological woman. Consequently there was a social media uproar compared to the likes of when biological male swimmer Lia Thomas won the US women's championship, as it was assumed Hiltz was born male. . "I told myself, I’m not going to think about all the love and support (I have) until 100 meters to go,’" Hiltz said, per 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 in an interview with NBC said the big win is dedicated to the Pride community. "I literally can’t believe it. I mean, this is bigger than me," Hiltz said."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."On Monday morning Hiltz posted to social media. "Woke up an Olympian," she wrote. Hiltz won silver at the 2024 World Indoor Championships in Glasgow, Scotland, and gold at the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru.NBC
