Until this past weekend, no transgender male athlete had ever competed in an Olympic trial alongside other men. That all changed on Saturday, Jan. 25, in Santee, Calif., when six-time member of Team USA, the All-American duathlete and Hall of Fame triathlete, Chris Mosier, stepped off the starting line in the U.S. Olympic Team Trials Men’s 50km Race Walk.

Mosier made history, as the first trans man to compete in the men’s Olympic trials.

He shared pictures of the race with his 19K followers on Instagram, declaring, “What an incredible experience!” One of his photos from the finish line showed out competitor Matthew Forgues, Saturday’s second-place finisher, standing with a Pride flag next to his husband, Manuel Martinez.

Then, in another post, Mosier revealed the “heartbreaking” news that for the first time, he was unable to finish a race. This race, of all races.

Mosier wrote in his Instagram post that he developed an injury to his right knee early in Saturday’s 50km competition. He later told Outsports he suffered a torn meniscus, which will require surgery. No word yet on how long his recovery time will be.

His knee may require fixing, but his optimism is intact. In a message to fans, Mosier wrote “This isn’t the end — on the contrary, this is very early in this new chapter. And I will say now with confidence: this is not my last race or last Olympic Trials.”

Read Mosier’s full message on Instagram or scroll down for the complete text.

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For all those following along: Today was incredible and heartbreaking. I ended up my very first DNF (did not finish), pulling out of the race early with a knee injury. . Since making it to the Olympic Trials was my main goal last year, I feel extremely accomplished. I started training in a new sport in May 2019. In January 2020, I was ranked 12th & toe the line with the best men in the nation. . I wanted come here today and have this experience and make history and celebrate. And with it being such a big, special race I had to line up; but the truth is my leg has been hurting for a long time and this morning I had two options: go all out today and hurt myself even more, or exit early and live to race another day. . I made the tough but wise choice. I have a torn meniscus in my right knee and will be looking at surgery very soon (but first any other options! DM me suggestions please!) . Despite the agony of watching most of this race from the sideline, I had a wonderful experience. I feel blessed to be here. I can’t downplay the significance of starting the race or the fact that I only started racewalking seven months ago and have done only two races prior – a pretty awesome beginning to my new sport. . This is just a step on my journey. @coach.robyn told me today: “progress is not a straight line” It’s true. . It’s all good as long as we are moving forward. And forward isn’t always a straight line either. This isn’t the end – on the contrary, this is very early in this new chapter. And I will say now with confidence: this is not my last race or last Olympic Trials. . Thank you to everyone who sent well wishes, good luck, and good vibes this weekend, and thank you for all support and congratulations throughout. Thanks for your text messages and videos – I felt the love and you really showed me what you’re about. ✊ . I really appreciate you being along for the ride. 🙏 Buckle up – we’re going to fix this knee and really let it rock! . #imagedescription Chris Mosier zips up a blue @nike jacket after withdrawing from the Olympic Trials race with a knee injury. . #transathlete #history #racewalking #nike #nikerunning #olympictrials #dnf #nodaysoff #nobaddays

A post shared by Chris Mosier (@thechrismosier) on

“Today was incredible and heartbreaking. I ended up my very first DNF (did not finish), pulling out of the race early with a knee injury..

“Since making it to the Olympic Trials was my main goal last year, I feel extremely accomplished. I started training in a new sport in May 2019. In January 2020, I was ranked 12th & toe the line with the best men in the nation..

“I wanted come here today and have this experience and make history and celebrate. And with it being such a big, special race I had to line up; but the truth is my leg has been hurting for a long time and this morning I had two options: go all out today and hurt myself even more, or exit early and live to race another day..

“I made the tough but wise choice. I have a torn meniscus in my right knee and will be looking at surgery very soon (but first any other options! DM me suggestions please!).

“Despite the agony of watching most of this race from the sideline, I had a wonderful experience. I feel blessed to be here. I can’t downplay the significance of starting the race or the fact that I only started racewalking seven months ago and have done only two races prior – a pretty awesome beginning to my new sport..

“This is just a step on my journey. @coach.robyn told me today: ‘progress is not a straight line’ It’s true..

“It’s all good as long as we are moving forward. And forward isn’t always a straight line either.

“This isn’t the end — on the contrary, this is very early in this new chapter. And I will say now with confidence: this is not my last race or last Olympic Trials.”

Follow Chris Mosier on Twitter at @TheChrisMosier and on Instagram at @thechrismosier

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