Trailblazing trans BMX rider Chelsea Wolfe is officially going to the Tokyo Olympics
Trailblazing BMX rider Chelsea Wolfe is on her way to the Tokyo Olympics with Team USA, making her the first trans athlete to make a US Olympic team. (Instagram/@chelseawolfebmx)
Trailblazing BMX rider Chelsea Wolfe is going to the Tokyo Olympics, becoming the first trans athlete to join the Team USA roster.
Wolfe will travel to Tokyo as a reserve athlete, according to Huffington Post, and will only compete if one of the two qualifying riders – Hannah Roberts and Perris Benegas – drops out.
Regardless of whether she rides, Wolfe has made history.
The athlete, who has spoken openly about her trans identity and her Olympic dreams, said it is still “taking a bit to register” that she’s going to Tokyo.
Writing on Instagram, she reflected on how she has gone through “so much work” and come “so many obstacles” to get to this point.
“I am positively a different person than when I set off on this journey and I’m so grateful for every experience along the way and I’m so excited and honored to keep working so I’m ready to shred in Tokyo in case I’m needed,” Wolfe wrote.
She congratulated Roberts and Benegas for being named as competition riders.
“Can’t wait to watch ya’ll crush it in the games and cheer you on,” she added.
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Both riders are part of the LGBT+ community. Roberts announced her marriage to her wife earlier this year, and Benegas came out as gay in a heartwarming post on social media in May.
Wolfe also shared a glimpse of her Olympics uniform which is, of course, red, white and blue and has her surname emblazoned on the back. She also showed off a mountain of Team USA merch.
Chelsea Wolfe clinched the reserve spot on Team USA after she took fifth place in the final standings at the UCI Urban World Championships earlier this month. The win put her in third overall in the USA rankings, which boosted her into the alternate spot for the Olympic Games in Tokyo.
