Middle-distance runner Nikki Hiltz competed in the U.S. Olympic Trials on June 30, where they clocked the second fastest time ever recorded by an American in the women’s 1500-meter race.
The history-making run has solidified Hiltz’s place as a force to be reckoned with on the global stage. The transgender and nonbinary runner will be heading to the 2024 Paris Olympics to compete among the world’s elite athletes.
Here’s everything to know about Nikki Hiltz.
From collegiate to professional success
Raised in Aptos, California, Hiltz discovered their passion for running early, claiming the California women’s 1600-meter state title as a junior in high school in 2012 before earning a track scholarship to the University of Oregon, which they told Runners World in April 2021.
After two years running for the Oregon Ducks, during which Hiltz and their team became a 2015 NCAA Division 1 & Pac-12 Conference, Hiltz transferred to the University of Arkansas, according to Hiltz’s Runners World interview.
Hiltz told the outlet that from there, they cemented their reputation as a rising star in the NCAA, capturing seven All-American honors and two runner-up 1500-meter finishes at the NCAA Championships, laying the foundation for a career that’s been nothing short of extraordinary.
After graduating, Hiltz signed a contract with Adidas in 2018, officially becoming a professional runner. They had a successful first season in 2019, placing first at the USATF 1 Mile Road Championships and setting a new course record, taking third in the 1500 meter at the USATF Outdoor National Championships and qualifying for the IAAF World Track and Field Championships.
Hiltz finished 12th in the world in October 2019, writing on Instagram, “Not the race I wanted but I’m so stoked I got to be apart the fastest 1500 final in World Championship history! Letting this experience light my fire for next year! I hear there’s like an Olympics or something….”
How the athlete has embraced visibility
But Hiltz’s journey isn’t just about medals and records. On International Transgender Day of Visibility in March 2021, they announced on Instagram that they are transgender and nonbinary.
“It’s complicated and complex and something I’m still trying to navigate myself, but I’ve decided it’s time to share my gender fluidity with you all,” Hiltz wrote in the post. “Posting this is both exciting and terrifying but I am and always will be a firm believer that vulnerability and visibility are essential in creating social change and acceptance.”
As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, they’ve become a symbol of visibility and advocacy, on and off the track. Their openness has sparked conversation about inclusivity and representation in sports. However, transgender athletes still face restrictive policies within their sports.
Last year, the World Athletics Council, the governing body of track and field, barred transgender women from competing at the highest levels of sport.
As a result, Hiltz cannot receive gender affirming care, including taking testosterone.
“Going to the Olympics is such a dream of mine,” Hiltz said in an interview with Runners World in June 2023. “But it’s also such a dream of mine to take testosterone or grow facial hair or have top surgery, and so I think sometimes I can really resent this sport.”
Their road to the 2024 Paris Olympics
Fortunately, Hiltz is finally going to see out their Olympic dreams next month in Paris.
After failing to qualify for the Olympic Trials in 2021, Hiltz was determined to come back stronger, and stronger they did, punching their ticket to Paris with a blazing 3:55.33.
“This is bigger than just me,” Hiltz told NBC Sports in a post-race interview. “All the LGBT folks, yeah, you guys brought me home that last hundred (meters). I could just feel the love and support.”
Leading up to the trials, Hiltz won their first USATF Outdoor National Championship title in the 1500 meter in July 2023. They broke the American mile record at the Monaco Diamond League with a time of 4:16.35.
Hiltz attributed their success to the love and support they’ve received from the LGBTQ+ community.
“Queer people can thrive when we make a space for them, love them, and embrace them for who they are. Thank you to everyone who does this for me,” Hiltz wrote in an Instagram post. “Your love allowed me to run free last night and break a 38 year old American record. That’s powerful stuff.”
Off the track, Hiltz is also a race organizer. Since 2020, they’ve hosted an annual Pride 5k event, which they describe on the Pride 5k’s website as “a safe space for people to show up as themselves.”
“Our goal is to make sure that every transgender person knows that there is an entire community of runners who love and support them and believe they belong everywhere they decide to be.”
In its first three years, Pride 5k has raised over $172,000, according to the website, with proceeds donated to the Trevor Project, an organization that provides crisis and suicide intervention for LGBTQ+ youth.
