“It’s holding onto the fact that truly anything can happen. That's why I'm a fan of the sport. I love watching upsets happen. I love watching dragons get slayed and things like that. It's exciting! I think no matter what, I'm just going in to try to run a 1500 that I'm proud of and let the outcome be the outcome. That's not the focus; the focus is just doing the thing I love.”
Three straight U.S. outdoor titles, a Diamond League victory, and a season that has firmly established Nikki Hiltz as America’s standard-bearer in the 1500m.
Earlier this month at Hayward Field, they did exactly what we’ve come to expect: poised in the pack, patient when the laps slowed, and then — with 100 meters to go — devastating to the competition. A 58-second last lap sealed a third consecutive national title and another ticket to the global stage.
If we go beyond the results on the track, this year brought about quite a bit of change. Nikki underwent contract talks to start the year and stuck with Lululemon. They switched up their coaching setup and started working with Juli Benson. All of this while privately recovering from top surgery, which they revealed just recently. Many of these things would seed doubt in an athlete, but Nikki has not skipped a beat.
Most recently, the Brussels Diamond League proved that — another perfectly timed kick down the final straight to reel in Australia’s Linden Hall and score their first-ever Diamond League win in 3:55.94, making history as the first American in seven years to win a 1500m on that stage.
Now, Hiltz heads to Tokyo as more than a national champion. I firmly believe they’re a medal contender. Consistent, battle-tested, and dangerous when the race is decided late.
We talk about the evolution behind this season, the mental battles of change and competition, and how Hiltz has grown into thinking about themselves as not just one of America’s best, but one of the world’s.
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Host: Chris Chavez | @chris_j_chavez on Instagram
Guest: Nikki Hiltz | @nikkihiltz on Instagram
Produced by: Jasmine Fehr | @jasminefehr on Instagram
Mentioned in this episode…
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