A transgender/non-binary American runner has qualified for the Paris Olympics with a record time, but there is far more to the story than the mainstream headlines imply. Nikki Hiltz qualified for the U.S. Olympic team Sunday in the women’s 1500-meter run with a time of 3:55:33, the second-fastest time ever for an American in the women’s event and the fastest time ever in the U.S. Olympic track and field trials. It is Hiltz’s first Olympics.
Hiltz, 29, identifies as transgender and non-binary and made that a theme during post-race interviews. Hiltz uses “they/them” pronouns.
“This is bigger than just me. It’s the last day of Pride Month. ...I wanted to run this one for my community,” Hiltz told NBC News. “All the LGBT folks, yeah, you guys brought me home that last hundred [meters]. I could just feel the love and support.”
Hiltz’s comments ignited a slew of confusing reports within mainstream media. CBS News ran a story with the headline, “Nikki Hiltz, transgender runner, qualifies for U.S. Olympic team after winning 1,500-meter final.” NBC News ran a story with a similar headline and further clouded the issue by citing rules on trans athletes from World Athletics, the worldwide governing body for track and field.
However, few mainstream stories cited a crucial fact in the controversy: Hiltz is a biological female.
Hiltz ran track for the University of Arkansas women’s team from 2015 to 2017 after transferring from the University of Oregon. An online Arkansas bio from that time labeled Hiltz the “daughter of Tom and Liz Hiltz.” As a high school athlete in California, Hiltz ran for the girls’ team and was the 2012 California state 1,600-meter champion.
Hiltz came out as transgender/non-binary in a 2021 Instagram post but continued to compete in female events.
A thread on LetsRun.com acknowledged the confusion over the mainstream stories and added, “The article did not explain that Hiltz is a biological female. Hiltz is also not on testosterone as World Athletics forbids that.”
Hiltz’s situation is different from Penn’s Lia Thomas, a biological male who competed as a female in swimming and became the first transgender woman to win an NCAA championship in 2022.
Former NCAA All-America swimmer Riley Gaines, a critic of biological males competing in women’s events, said Hiltz’s situation is unique.
“A female who identifies as trans earned a spot on the U.S. women’s Olympic team,” Gaines wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “I wonder why she didn’t try out for the men’s team. It’s almost as if she understands she would never be able to compete or succeed at the same level against the men. Telling. Let it be known I think it’s great that she earned a spot on the women’s team—an incredible feat (so long as no PEDs are used). Just pointing out the hypocrisy and double standard. The women’s category has become a catch-all.”
Let it be known I think it's great that she earned a spot on the women's team. Incredible feat (so long as no PEDs are used).
— Riley Gaines (@Riley_Gaines_) July 2, 2024
Just pointing out the hypocrisy and double standard. The women's category has become a catch all
Last year, World Athletics approved new rules prohibiting biological males from competing in women’s events if they have gone through male puberty, calling it an issue of “fairness.” A year earlier, FINA—the governing body for swimming—passed a new rule banning athletes from competing in international swimming events if they’ve gone through puberty.
Photo Credit: ©Getty Images/Patrick Smith/Staff
Michael Foust has covered the intersection of faith and news for 20 years. His stories have appeared in Baptist Press, Christianity Today, The Christian Post, the Leaf-Chronicle, the Toronto Star and the Knoxville News-Sentinel.