Aptos native Nikki Hiltz qualifies for 1,500 final, makes history

PARIS — Nikki Hiltz had a plan in place for when they got on the track Thursday at the Stade de France for the start of the women’s 1,500-meter semifinals.

A race plan, yes. But also a joy plan.

Hiltz, who is transgender/nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns, frequently calls being queer their superpower. They thrive off the support they receive from the LGBTQ+ community. And Hiltz said that support, plus an extra boost from an advocate, fueled the Aptos native to a historic performance Thursday night.

Shortly after the competitors were unleashed to take their practice strides on the purple track, Hiltz jogged over to exchange a few daps with Team USA long jumper Tara Davis-Woodhall. Then, once the starting gun went off, they confidently cruised to a third-place finish to become the first openly trans athlete to reach an Olympic final in an individual event.

“I can finally let it sink in that I’m in the final,” Hiltz said after the race. “And that just means a lot. I mean, I know I’m the first, but I’m definitely not the last. And so I hope, hope I can make it a little bit easier for the next nonbinary person to come after me.”

The final will be Saturday. Hiltz will be going up against a stacked field that includes the two athletes who placed ahead of them in Heat 2 — Ethiopia’s Gudaf Tsegay and Australia’s Jessica Hull — as well as Heat 1 winner and world record holder Faith Kipyegon of Kenya. Hiltz’s personal-best time of 3 minutes, 55.33 seconds is sixth-fastest in the 12-runner group.

Still, they said they’ll be going for a medal. Only one Olympic medal has been won by an openly nonbinary athlete. That was Canadian soccer player Quinn, who won gold with that team in Tokyo.

“I want to medal. Like, I really do,” Hiltz said. “Why not me?”

Plenty of trolls would be happy to tell them why not.

This hasn’t been an easy Olympics for nonconforming athletes, and for ones who are rumored to be. Two athletes competing in women’s boxing have been accused by the World Boxing Federation of being men even though they have always competed as women. Hiltz, meanwhile, has been the subject of social media rage, with people accusing them of being a man who is taking opportunities away from women. Hiltz was born female and has not undergone any hormone therapy.

Through sports, and the platform given to them through their success, though, Hiltz hopes to change those attitudes.

“It’s a weird and crazy time politically. And, yeah, I think you see that play out in sports,” Hiltz said. “But I think sports is such a good example that just sets the tone for the rest of the world. Like, hey, queer people can be here and they can exist and they’re loved and supported.”

Hiltz and Davis-Woodhall, who later that night won the gold medal in long jump, planned their exchange while texting each other Wednesday night. The two athletes always compete on the same days, so Hiltz suggested they do something special to commemorate the Olympics. During warmups Thursday, they put words into action.

“So we made a little handshake,” Hiltz said. “Her being herself out there and (being) fun and outgoing and just having fun out there, she inspires me to do a little bit more of that.”

Davis-Woodhall said she also took joy from the exchange.

“It was the best moment for me to be in the moment with them,” she said. “And I’m just so thankful that I was able to do that.”

Hiltz will try to keep the good times rolling through the final. They won’t have Davis-Woodhall, whose Olympic competition is over, by the track to give them that turbo boost. They will, however, have advocates in the pack, including Team USA training partner Elle St. Pierre.

St. Pierre, who qualified for the final by placing third in Heat 1, called Hiltz’s milestone “definitely awesome.”

“I’m really happy for them,” St. Pierre said of Hiltz. “I think that they really stand up for their community, and that’s an inspiration in itself.”

Originally Published: August 8, 2024 at 2:27 p.m.