Nikki Hiltz's Olympic dream has a chance to become golden. Their presence, out and proud, has already made a special mark on these Olympic Games. | Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard

Saturday night at 8:15 p.m. Paris time (2:15 p.m. EDT), 12 athletes will approach a waterfall starting line for the Summer Olympics women’s 1,500-meter final.

The race features the event’s world record holder Faith Kipyegon of Kenya, seeking to close out a dominant year with Olympic gold. Britain’s Laura Muir won silver in the 1,500 three years ago in Tokyo and seeks to take the next step up.

Australia’s Jessica Hull has one of the fastest times in the world this year. Ethiopia’s Diribe Welteji took silver at last year’s world championships, finishing behind Kipyegon. Teammate Gudaf Tsegay has reached two finals at these Olympics, but only has a ninth and a sixth to show for it. This is her last shot at a medal at these Games.

In the middle of it all are a pair of Americans looking to continue Team USA’s distance running renaissance.

Elle St. Pierre made it to that flying Olympic final in Tokyo in 2021 and finished 10th.

A newly out Nikki Hiltz was watching that Tokyo final disappointed that they weren’t in it. Three years of pain, change and excellence brought them to this moment. You can bet that Hiltz, to quote the current popular vernacular, understands the assignment.

courtesy: https://www.threads.net/@nikkihiltz/post/C-dB5rBum8b?xmt=AQGzrGc_qMjfwQ7lfskrPaTFXlvwEqDRzrLEBpY1mFlj8A0

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To say that they’ve “made it” is an understatement, especially if you’ve followed their journey. Hiltz came out as trans and nonbinary on Trans Day of Visibility in 2021, and found themselves jostled at the start and finishing last place in the 1,500 final at the U.S. Olympic Trials three months later.

They changed coaches and renewed focus in 2022. Since January 2023, Hiltz has been on a roll, with five USA Track and Field national championships, a silver medal at 1,500 at the World Athletics Indoor Championships in 2024, set the American record in the mile, and broke a U.S. Olympic Trials mark in the race that got them to Paris.

They’ve also been unafraid to speak out in another weighty arena.

A winning week in Iowa in 2023 and speaking out bolstered a community fighting anti-LGBTQ legislation. (Photo Courtesy: Nirmalendu Majumdar/Ames Tribune)

“I feel like I have a super power being queer out there.” 

While 2021 was their coming out, you could say that a race in 2023 was the moment they stepped into a place as a sporting touchstone for LGBTQ people.

In April 2023, Hiltz contested the USATF Road 1-Mile Championship in Des Moines, Iowa. They won it in 2019 and were in a fierce fight to win a second one.

The difference was now, they were fully there and buoyed during a furious final stretch drive to win by fans waving pride flags along the course. Each flag built a gauntlet of support.

“I can confidently say that the amount of pride flags I saw along yesterday’s course, especially on the home stretch, is exactly what gave me that extra gear to pull away for the win with about 50 meters to go,” Hiltz wrote on their Instagram page.

The win came a month after Iowa legislators passed anti-trans legislation over furious debate and objection.

Hiltz didn’t hesitate to use the podium finish as a platform. “Trans people live in Iowa and they deserve access to healthcare and access to sports,” Hiltz said to Citius Magazine after the race. “It meant more being in a state where there is so much hateful legislation.”

“To me, queer people in the community were so grateful and thankful I was here,” they continued. “I’m grateful to them. They are the ones being here and living here and fighting back.”

A week later, they won the 1,500 meters on the track at the Drake Relays en route to their first outdoor national championship that summer, and continued to take opportunities to speak out. It’s been a constant since before Hiltz’s ascension up the World Athletics rankings and as the more than 500 pieces of anti-LGBTQ legislation piled up nationwide.

Hiltz has found a lot of pride in speaking out, along with the joy of having fun and racing hard. Photo Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The rainbow necklaces, wrist charms and trans flag pins flashing as they race have become as much a trademark as Hiltz’s race savvy, finishing kick, and megawatt smile as they cross the tape. Their presence on the elite stage and their voice being in the fight is seen as another boost for the greater good in these difficult times.

“All trans and nonbinary athletes are pushing the needle just by showing up, but to have Nikki on the world stage is a big deal,” 2023 New York Marathon Nonbinary Division Champion Cal Calamia said to Outsports. “Any visibility in the sport fosters increased representation across all distances and levels and makes me feel hopeful for the future of trans athletes.”

To Hiltz, their performance and presence were born from just finding out and being who they are.

“I feel like I have a super power being queer out there,” Hiltz said in a post-race interview with Axios Thursday. “I know that I am loved and supported, and that just allows me to run free. It doesn’t matter what the result is.”

Hiltz didn’t just run free in the 1,500-meter rounds in Paris, they ran tough and smart. In the first round, they put themselves in a position to earn a day’s rest and avoid a repechage race to qualify. They stayed resolute throughout their semifinal heat and put themselves in the final with power and poise.

Their power and poise stood in contrast to the frenzied gender hysteria that will be part of the legacy of the 2024 Summer Olympics.

Hiltz has run tough against the best and looks ready to be a factor in the 1,500 final. Photo Credit: James Lang-USA TODAY Sports

Eyes on the prize and history

Hiltz’s event started as the furor over Algerian boxer Imane Khelif and Taiwanese boxer Lin Yu-Tung dominated the news cycle. It dwarfed the formidable level of coverage of weightlifter Laurel Hubbard being the first transgender woman to compete in the Games three years ago, and both boxers in this case are cisgender women. Each is alleged to have failed an unknown gender verification test from a now discredited International Boxing Assn.

The entire story still lingers even as Khelif punched her way to a gold medal Friday and Lin seeks to do a gold medal bout Saturday. Never mind that five Olympic sports have banned transgender women from women’s competition since the Tokyo Olympics.

“It’s incredible how even after banning the vast majority of trans athletes from the Olympics, the world found a way to drag in transphobia and employ it against cis people,” Calamia said on the issue.

Hiltz has also been a target of barbs by the willfully ignorant. Some accuse them of being a “cheating biological male” or worse. Even with a story that has been well-documented for three years, their successes still come with some pushback.

They’ve responded with a stoic reserve toward transphobes and spreading the support and joy to the growing numbers of their fans. Hiltz has responded with performances on the track while also having a lot of fun, along with their toothy grin.

Track and field “Power couple” Emma Gee, left, and Nikki Hiltz celebrate after the women’s 1,500 meters on the final day of the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials in Eugene in June.

On a Threads post Friday, Hiltz ended a note of recognition and thanks for what’s to come by writing “tomorrow we dream” and LGBTQ Nation dreams along with them.

Yet amid the dream, there is something beautifully real. Nikki Hiltz has already won just by showing up and they’ve earned a golden chance to show out.