Chris Mosier makes history as first openly trans athlete to compete in an Olympic trial as their true gender
Chris Mosier at the starting line of the 50km race walking Olympic trial. (Instagram/Chris Mosier)
Chris Mosier broke new ground as the first trans man to compete in a men’s Olympic trial.
Mosier said he felt “proud” and “grateful” to have taken part in the Team USA 50km race walking trials on January 25.
Due to injury he was forced to withdraw from the trial part-way through, but said that he had an “incredible experience” nonetheless.
“I feel extremely accomplished,” he wrote on Instagram, explaining that making the Olympic trials had been his “main goal” since he started race walking last year.
Mosier made history in 2016 as the first trans person to be selected for Team USA.
He originally qualified in duathlon, which is not an Olympic sport. In an attempt to reach sport’s highest platform, he switched to race walking on the advice of his trainer.
“I started training in a new sport in May 2019. In January 2020, I was ranked 12th and toe the line with the best men in the nation,” he explained.
Chris Mosier took part in Olympic trial despite knee injury.
Mosier said that he had been struggling with a knee injury for “a long time” ahead of the trial and was faced with two options: “Go all out today and hurt myself even more, or exit early and live to race another day.”
“I wanted come here today and have this experience and make history and celebrate,” he wrote.
“I made the tough but wise choice [to withdraw].
“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 race walking seven months ago and have done only two races prior – a pretty awesome beginning to my new sport.”
Trans athlete promises ‘this isn’t the end’.
Mosier is now facing surgery to correct his knee injury, but promised that this “isn’t the end – on the contrary, this is very early in this new chapter”.
“This is just a step on my journey,” he wrote, adding that his coach Robyn LaLonde told him: “Progress is not a straight line.”
“It’s true,” he added. “It’s all good as long as we are moving forward. And forward isn’t always a straight line either. And I will say now with confidence: this is not my last race or last Olympic trials.”
While Mosier is the first trans man to compete in a men’s Olympic trial, he noted that Keelin Godsey was the first openly trans athlete to try out for a spot on the Team USA Olympic team in 2008.
However Godsey, a trans man, competed in the women’s hammer throw. He trialled again in 2012, narrowly missing out on a spot on the women’s team.
