American non-binary runner and trans activist Nikki Hiltz won their sixth consecutive national title in the 1,500-metre at the USA Track and Field National Championships on August 2. Hiltz secured the victory in 4:03.15, beating Sinclaire Johnson by less than a second.
“I’m very proud of this one. So grateful for my people and very excited for the rest of this season! We’re just getting started fam!” the Olympian said in an Instagram post.
Celebrating their first-place finish at the national championships wasn’t the only accomplishment the runner shared on social media this week. Hiltz also took to Instagram on Wednesday, August 6, to talk about their journey getting top surgery just under a year ago.
In light of recent attacks on trans athletes, Hiltz said they wanted to share their experience with gender-affirming healthcare in order to “help normalize something that so often gets policed and vilified.” The American athlete completed the surgery one month after competing at the Paris Olympics in 2024, where they were one of the first out trans athletes to represent Team USA.
“To all the trans people reading this post right now I want you to know that even though they are banning a lot of things in order to make our lives far more difficult than necessary, one thing they can never ban is our trans joy,” Hiltz wrote. “No matter what they do to our community I’m going to keep on showing up and keep on shining and I hope you join me in doing the same.”
Nikki Hiltz is now training for the World Athletics Championships in Tokyo, Japan, in September. While they placed second in the 1,500-metre at the World Indoor Championships last year, they are yet to win an international title. The American runner continues to be an inspiration to many young athletes globally and has helped advocate for trans visibility within the athletic community.
Did you know we have a team of wonderful runners taking part in this year’s Dublin Marathon and raising funds for GCN? You can support our athletes at this link.
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