If the world didn’t know about Nikki Hiltz before, they do now.
The 29-year-old, nonbinary runner used a late kick to win the women’s 1,500-meter final on Day 10 of the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials on Sunday in Eugene, Oregon.
Aptos native Nikki Hiltz celebrates after winning the women’s 1,500-meter final during the U.S. Track and Field Olympic Team Trials on Sunday in Eugene, Oregon. (George Walker IV – The Associated Press)
The Aptos native, a former standout at University of Oregon and later University of Arkansas, is Paris bound for the 2024 Summer Games, their first Olympics.
Hiltz blazed to the win in a personal-best and meet record 3 minutes, 55.33 seconds.
“I really wasn’t thinking about time,” said Hiltz, in a post-race interview with USATF. “I thought it would be sub-4, but if you would’ve told me 3:56 doesn’t make the team, I’m actually so glad I didn’t know that going in, because I didn’t know I was capable of 3:35. I was just running a race.
“I told myself before the race, don’t try to make an Olympic team, try to win a race. Now, I think I can think about it — I just made the Olympic team. I was trying to not make it bigger than it is.”
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Source:: The Mercury News – Entertainment
