Trailblazing nonbinary runner and Now Awards Sports honoree Nikki Hiltz just cinched another win as the reigning national champ of the 1500-meter race, and dedicated the honor to the LGBTQ+ community.
Hiltz was competing in the 2023 USA Track & Field (USATF) Outdoor Championships, which took place in Eugene, Oregon, last Thursday through Sunday. This marks the third time that the athlete, who became the first out nonbinary person to win a national championship title in track and field this past February, has won the 1500-meter race, with a lightning-fast speed of 4:03.10.
In a post-race interview with the track and field outlet Citius Mag, an interviewer remarked on seeing a trans flag in the stands and asked Hiltz what that meant to them. The athlete acknowledged that “there’s so much hate right now,” especially anti-trans bills targeting youth. “I feel like the LGBTQ+ community needed a win, and there’s so many things that go through your mind in the race, and for whatever reason that was kind of in the back of my mind,” they said.
Hiltz said that they saw the flag before the race even started, and thought to themself, “That person, I don’t know their pronouns or who they are, but they brought that flag and I bet they’re here for me." After the race and after their victory lap, the athlete gave their bibs to the flag-bearer.
“I wanted to give it to that one person because they were the reason I won, or one of them. They pulled it out of me,” Hiltz said. "Track is a super niche sport and I don’t even know that many trans or queer people watch. So the ones that do, that’s who I do it for."
The person who was holding the flag posted to Twitter to tell Hiltz, “truly you are my hero.”
“That flag was for you,” he said. “And that bib you gave me truly one of the most special gifts I've ever received. Us trans won today thanks to you!”
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Hiltz has been a track and field champ since high school, and won their first national championship in 2019, as they shared with Them in their Now Awards profile this June. They came out as trans and nonbinary in an Instagram post in 2021, and although they’ve said that they haven’t experienced any backlash in real life, Hiltz has faced plenty of hate from conservatives online.
Anti-trans legislation, especially restrictions on trans athletes competing in school sports, also hits especially close to home for Hiltz. “It’s ridiculous,” they told Them. “Sport has opened so many doors for me. It’s just really devastating that they’re not even letting someone have the opportunity to all the possibilities sport can offer you.”
Next, Hiltz will be heading for the World Athletics Championship in Budapest, Hungary in August, their second appearance in a world championship, per Outsports.
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