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class="in-play in-play--article"><span class="in-play-shape"><span class="in-label" data-note="for-screen-rears">Rume</span></span></i></a></div><div class="article-meta"><span class="article-meta-em--date"><span tle="Thursday, June 17th 2021, 10:57:51 am">June 17, 2021</span></span><ul class="article-meta-em--thorlist article-meta-group"><li class="article-meta-em article-meta-em--thor"><a class="article-meta-lk article-meta-em--thor" href="/si/staff/tonya-mosley">Tonya Mosley</a></li><li class="article-meta-em article-meta-em--thor"><a class="article-meta-lk article-meta-em--thor" href="/si/staff/allison-hagan">Allison Hagan</a></li></ul><div class="article-share article-share-ins"><a href=" & target="_blank" rel="noreferrer" class="article-share-lk" tle="Share on Facebook"><svg class="in in-facebook" viewBox="0 0 128 128" role="img" width="24" aria-labelledby="tle"><tle id="tle">facebook</tle><path display="le" d="M120.1,0H8.2c-4.4,0-8,3.6-8,8v112c0,4.4,3.6,8,8,8h60.4V78.2h-16V59.8h16V43.9 c0-14.6,8.9-24.3,26.4-24.3c7.7,0,13.1,0.9,13.1,0.9V37h-12c-5.3,0-8,3-8,8.2v14.5h18.7l-2.7,18.4h-16v49.7h32c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8V8 C128.1,3.6,124.5,0,120.1,0z"></path></svg></a><a href="mailto:?body=Nikki Hiltz Hop To Bee One Of The First Openly Transgenr Athlet At The Nikki Hiltz Hop To Bee One Of The First Openly Transgenr Athlet At The Olympics" class="article-share-lk" tle="Share by email"><svg class="in in-email" viewBox="0 0 128 128" width="20" aria-labelledby="tle"><tle id="tle">Email</tle><path display="le" d="M64.2,86.3l-64-48V104c0,4.4,3.6,8,8,8h112c4.4,0,8-3.6,8-8V38.4L64.2,86.3z M64.2,72l64-48 c0-4.4-3.6-8-8-8H8.2c-4.4,0-8,3.6-8,8L64.2,72z"></path></svg></a></div></div></hear><sectn class="article-sectn--lead-image article-sectn--lead-image--standard"><figure class="article-fig" style="aspect-rat:1000 / 860"><picture class="article-fig-ner"><img class="article-image" src=" alt="Nikki Hiltz petn at the 2019 World Athletics Champnships (USATF)"/></picture><figptn class="article-fig-ptn">Nikki Hiltz petn at the 2019 World Athletics Champnships (USATF)</figptn></figure></sectn><sectn class="article-sectn--ntent hang-punctuatn article-sectn--first article-sectn--centered article-sectns"><p class="">Profsnal nner <a href=">Nikki Hiltz</a> recently cid was time to share a tth.</p><p class="">The middle-distance nner had been openly gay for years, but was durg a virtual fundraiser last summer about suici preventn for LGBTQ youth that Hiltz realized was time to tell the whole story.</p><p class="">Four people ed the race as an opportuny to e out, so Hiltz wanted to hear their stori before this year’s event. The nversatns served as one of the last ph that Hiltz need to e out as transgenr and nonbary.</p><p class="">The 26-year-old is now vyg for one of three spots on the Olympic team as a qualifyg nttant nng the women's 1,500-meter event at the U.S. Track and Field Trials, which start on Friday Eugene, Oregon.</p><p class="nt-medium">“I'm feelg really exced. It's fely been a long time g,” they say. “I've been a profsnal nner for three years now, but I've always dreamed of racg for a chance to be on our Olympic team.”</p><p class="">COVID-19 has been an add strs for athlet preparg to pete, they say. When to the COVID-19 ncerns surroundg the Olympics, Hiltz tsts USA Track & Field and the Internatnal Olympic Commtee to make the right cisns.</p><p class="">On top of adjtg to COVID-19 preutns, Hiltz says the past year has been “transformative.”</p><p class="nt-medium">“I've jt kd of been livg my tth a few months now, and jt feels like a weight has been lifted,” they say. “Any time as an athlete I n step on the track and I n be my te self, I'm gog to n my bt and I'm gog to perform my bt.”</p><p class="">Hiltz feels grateful for the transgenr people who paved the way for their journey and hop to create more space for others to be themselv.</p><p class="">But ’s been difficult to al wh people’s opns about their inty, Hiltz says.</p><p class="">Hiltz was assigned female at birth but don’t intify wh eher bary genr, rather intifyg as nonbary and g they/them pronouns.</p><p class="nt-medium">“It's jt been very affirmg to hear the announcers or people, you know, refer to me as they/them,” they say. “And jt feels more right.”</p><p class="">In a <a href=">piece</a> for NBC Sports, Hiltz pats a picture of their younger self Santa Cz, California, revelg the physily of lifeguardg, nng and swimmg — g this stment of their body. But somewhere along the way, as they ma their way to anized sports, they realized that sports were built on the genr bary.</p><p class="">Hiltz is tryg to create space to be a nonbary athlete the genred world of sports and start nversatns around how to loosen the “strict bari” our society.</p><p class="nt-medium">“I thk sport uld actually be one of the first plac that change n happen,” they say.</p><p class="">Prr to g out, Hiltz says hidg their inty led them to start rentg nng. They had to choose between g out or wag for their reer to end to open up about their genr inty.</p><p class="">Language is important when talkg about genr and sports, Hiltz says.</p><p class="nt-medium">“I thk some of my dysphoria I've experienced has been when I'm on the startg le and 's, you know, the women's 1,500,” they say. “And 's kd of a ltle b kd of out of body. I'm like, ‘Is that me? Is that like how I intify?’ ”</p><p class="">Hiltz says they rell hearg soccer star Megan Rapoe say “athlet that pete women's sports” when talkg about the U.S. women's natnal soccer team. For them, the language “athlet the women’s 1,500” feels right — and while they don’t have all the answers on how to addrs genr sports, they’re glad to be havg this nversatn.</p><hr/><p class=""><em><a href=">Ashley Locke</a> produced and eded this terview for broadst wh <a href=">Tku Ray</a>. <a href=">Allison Hagan</a> adapted for the web.</em></p></sectn><sectn class="article-sectn--story-group article-sectn--centered"><p class=""><em>This segment aired on June 17, 2021.</em></p></sectn><sectn class="article-sectn--story-group article-sectn--centered Tags_article-sectn--tags__NOKiB"><a data-ec="Article Tags" data-el="Tokyo Summer Olympics" data-ea="Click" class="article-tag" href="/rad/programs/hereandnow/tag/tokyo-olympics-summer-gam">Tokyo Summer Olympics</a></sectn></article><sectn class="article-sectn--story-group article-sectn--centered"><hear class="zone"><div class="zone-ner"><h2 class="zone-hdr">Related:</h2></div></hear><ul class="article-story-group"><li class="story-group-em"><a data-ec="Article Related Lks" data-el="New ESPN Documentary '144' Turns The Lens On The WNBA'S 2020 Season" data-ea="Click" class="story-group-lk" href=">New ESPN Documentary '144' Turns The Lens On The WNBA'S 2020 Season</a></li><li class="story-group-em"><a data-ec="Article Related Lks" data-el="The Comeback Story Of Olympic Swimmer Dara Torr" data-ea="Click" class="story-group-lk" href=">The Comeback Story Of Olympic Swimmer Dara Torr</a></li><li class="story-group-em"><a data-ec="Article Related Lks" data-el="'Fernandomania' 40 Years Later: How Fernando Valenzuela Captivated Baseball Fans For Des" data-ea="Click" class="story-group-lk" href=">'Fernandomania' 40 Years Later: How Fernando Valenzuela Captivated Baseball Fans For Des</a></li><li class="story-group-em"><a data-ec="Article Related Lks" data-el="WNBA Star Renee Montgomery Leav Atlanta Dream To Fight For Racial Jtice" data-ea="Click" class="story-group-lk" href=">WNBA Star Renee Montgomery Leav Atlanta Dream To Fight For Racial Jtice</a></li></ul></sectn><sectn class="article-sectn--story-group article-sectn--centered"><div class="ntributor has-photo"><div class="ntributor-profile"><figure class="ntributor-profile-em ntributor-photo"><a href="/si/staff/tonya-mosley"><picture><img src=" class="lazy rd-image" alt=""/></picture></a></figure><p class="ntributor-profile-em ntributor-b"><a class="ntributor-name" href="/si/staff/tonya-mosley">Tonya Mosley</a> <span class="ntributor-tle">Corrponnt, Here & Now</span><br/>Tonya Mosley was the LA-based -host of Here & Now. </p><p class="ntributor-more"><a class="ntributor-lk ntributor-b-lk" href="/si/staff/tonya-mosley">More…</a></p></div></div><div class="ntributor has-photo"><div class="ntributor-profile"><figure class="ntributor-profile-em ntributor-photo"><a href="/si/staff/allison-hagan"><picture><img src=" class="lazy rd-image" alt=""/></picture></a></figure><p class="ntributor-profile-em ntributor-b"><a class="ntributor-name" href="/si/staff/allison-hagan">Allison Hagan</a> <span class="ntributor-tle">Digal Producer, Here & Now</span><br/>Allison Hagan is a digal producer for Here & Now.</p><p class="ntributor-more"><a class="ntributor-lk ntributor-b-lk" href="/si/staff/allison-hagan">More…</a></p></div></div></sectn><sectn class="sectn--bo sectn--bp"><div class="uw bp--rponsive"><div class="bp-ner"><p class="bp-label">Advertisement</p><div class="bp-ntent bp-ntent--centered"><div style="width:300px;height:50px"></div></div></div></div></sectn><div></div><div class="global-d-ponents onmand--is-playg"><div class="global-player"><d preload="to"></d><div class="global-player-bar"><div class="global-player-bar-left"><button class="global-player-bar-ntrol"><i class="in-play in-play--global-player-bar in-play--psed"><span class="in-play-shape"><span class="in-label" data-note="for-screen-rears">Rume</span></span></i></button><div class="global-player-label global-player-label--live"><div class="global-player-channel"><span>Listen Live</span></div><div class="global-player-tle"><a class="global-player-label-lk" href="/">Loadg...</a></div></div></div><div class="global-player-bar-right"><div class="global-player-x"><svg class="in in-close" viewBox="0 0 24 24" aria-labelledby="tle"><tle id="tle">Close.