Is Nikki Hiltz a biological man as a post on X claimed? No, that's not true: Hiltz was assigned female at birth. Hiltz has openly identified as transgender and nonbinary, opting for they/them gender pronouns, since 2021.
The claim appeared in a post (archived here) on X, formerly known as Twitter, on July 2, 2024. Above an image of Hiltz running past a finish line in a track and field race against other runners, the caption opened:
Nikki Hiltz a biological man is headed to the Olympics to represent the USA after destroying the female competitors in the Olympic trials......
Do you believe this is fair....?
This is what the post looked like on the X platform at the time of writing:
(Source: X screenshot taken on Wed July 3 15:46:39 2024 UTC)
Nikki Hiltz is an American professional athlete who typically runs middle distance in track and field. Under "Basic Information" on Hiltz's profile on the USA Track & Field website, the gender reads, "female."
In a March 31, 2021 post (archived here) on Hiltz's verified Instagram account, Hiltz came out as transgender and nonbinary, saying:
Hi I'm Nikki and I'm transgender. That means I don't identify with the gender I was assigned at birth. The word I use currently to describe my gender is non-binary. The best way I can explain my gender is as fluid. Sometimes I wake up feeling like a powerful queen and other days I wake up feeling as if I'm just a guy being a dude, and other times I identify outside of the gender binary entirely.
Hiltz's Instagram profile biography includes the gender pronouns "they/them."
(Source: Instagram screenshot taken on Wed July 3 15:59:39 2024 UTC)
An April 30, 2021, Runner's World Magazine article reported that in an interview, Hiltz acknowledged that they were assigned female at birth (AFAB) and began questioning their gender identity at an early age:
And by coming out, I fulfilled a wish I made on my 26th birthday, 20 years after I wished I would wake up a boy. I wished that by my next birthday, I would be ready to come out and live openly as trans.
And I am.
A July 2, 2024, FOX News article also reported that Hiltz is a "biological female who identifies as transgender non-binary" and qualified for the U.S. Women's 2024 Olympic Team after winning the 1,500-meter race at the Olympic trials, setting a new meet record.
Lead Stories reached out to a representative of Hiltz and the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee regarding the claim. If any responses are received, this fact check will be updated.
Additional fact checks that mention the 2024 Olympics can be read here.
