Team USA transgender and nonbinary runner Nikki Hiltz will be competing at the Olympics for the first time next week.
The prospect of making an Olympics debut calls up all kinds of emotions. There’s elation, fulfillment, and excitement, but also immense pressure, nervousness, and maybe even a little fear.
For any athlete, it helps to have someone who supports them unequivocally by their side, to provide the emotional stability that keeps the experience from becoming overwhelming.
Yesterday, Hiltz’s partner and fellow runner Emma Gee revealed in an Instagram post that the two decided to take advantage of the occasion to embark on an “Olympic-moon” in nearby Switzerland.
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With Switzerland about 400 miles from Paris, it appears that the opportunity to explore one of Europe’s most breathtaking countries was too tempting to resist.
Traveling with running colleague Madie Boreman, Hiltz and Gee visited one of those quaint Swiss mountainside towns that looks like it came straight out of a travel brochure.
Two of the photos from Gee’s post captured Hiltz strolling leisurely through the streets in Switzerland with a relaxed and contented smile on their face. Considering that their first Olympics race is just around the corner, the side trip to Switzerland looked like it was just what they needed.
Another photo focused on Hiltz staring into Gee’s eyes while the couple stood in the center of a roundabout with the town and surrounding mountains serving as a backdrop. If that pic was any indication, the excursion also worked as a retreat and a celebration of their partnership.
Hiltz is scheduled to make their Olympics debut on August 6 in the preliminary round of the women’s 1500-meter.
Hiltz took to X this morning to show that they’re getting their game face on, posting “IT’S ALMOST GO TIME BABY!!!” with USA flag and eagle emojis.
Following an Olympic-moon with the love of their life, Hiltz appears ready and focused to make the Olympics themselves just as memorable.
