Transgender and non-binary runner Nikki Hiltz reaches 1500m final at Paris Olympics

Transgender and non-binary runner Nikki Hiltz has qualified for the women’s 1500m final at the Olympic Games.

Hiltz, who had previously encouraged people to “respect people’s pronouns,” finished third in his semifinal race with a time of 3:56.17.

The 29-year-old is one of three transgender athletes competing at the Paris Olympics, alongside Canadian soccer player Quinn and New Zealand weightlifter Laurel Hubbard, who are also competing in the women’s divisions.

Hiltz was assigned female at birth and is not taking hormone treatments, making her eligible to compete in the Olympics, according to the New York Post. noted.

On Monday, Hiltz announced on X that they would be de-platforming until the end of the competition, but not before sharing a message with fans.

“Respect people’s pronouns and if someone has a different life experience than you, try to educate yourself instead of hating them,” they said.

In an interview with the Washington PostHiltz said his participation in the tournament was a “potential opportunity to change someone’s mind about something.”

Hiltz’s U.S. teammate Elle St. Pierre will join them in the 1500m final.

The Paris Games have been dominated by controversy surrounding the gender of certain athletes, notably boxers Imane Khelif and Lin Yu-Ting in women’s boxing.

Both fighters were disqualified from last year’s women’s world championships for allegedly failing gender eligibility tests, but Games chiefs cleared them to fight in France.

They are now in the gold medal match in the welterweight and featherweight divisions respectively.

The debate came to a head regarding Khelif when she defeated her Italian opponent Angela Carini.

Carini retired from the fight after just 46 seconds after receiving a heavy blow, saying afterwards that she had “never been hit that hard in my life.”

However, Carini later said he “wants to apologize” to Khelif, whom he did not shake hands with after the fight.