Nico Young made history on July 31 by winning the 10,000-meter final at the USATF Outdoor Championships, becoming the first out gay man to claim a U.S. track and field title.
The 23-year-old from Camarillo, California, secured his historic win with a time of 29:02.12, edging Olympic bronze medalist Grant Fisher after closing the final mile in 3:57.05 and his last lap in a blistering 56.54 seconds.
A former standout at Northern Arizona University, Young won both the 5,000- and 3,000-meter races at the 2024 NCAA Division I Indoor Championships. He also qualified for the Paris Olympics by placing third in the 10,000 meters at last year’s U.S. trials, eventually finishing 12th at the Games with a time of 26:58.11, according to Forbes.
In early June, Young won the 3,000 meters at Grand Slam Track Philadelphia with a time of 8:01.03. Later that month, he claimed the men’s 5,000 meters at the Oslo Diamond League in 12:45.27 — the second-fastest time ever by an American and a new U.S. outdoor record.
Young, Fisher, and Graham Blanks rounded out the top three at the USATF Championships. Despite the slower finishing time, all three had already met the qualifying standard for the 10,000 meters at next month’s World Athletics Championships in Tokyo.
While there have been other LGBTQ U.S. track champions, none were publicly out in men’s competitions at the time of their victories, according to OutSports.
Young came out as gay in August 2022 in an emotional Instagram post, writing, “Anyone who tells you that being gay is a choice is wrong. I am living proof that it is not a choice, it is something I have always known and been aware of, but have kept silent out of fear of rejection.
“I have struggled to accept myself, but I am becoming more proud and happy with who I am,” he continued. “I have realized that the only reason I never liked this part of who I am was because of what society has told me, not because of how I actually feel. This is a quality of myself as well as so many other people that should be accepted and celebrated just the same as a straight person’s identity is.”
He also shared hopes of being a “representative and advocate for others like me,” urging those struggling with their sexual orientation to remember they are not alone and to seek out a strong, supportive community.
In a 2024 interview with Runner’s World, Young shared that LGBTQ fans often approach him at meets to thank him for his visibility — a gesture that gives him both comfort and strength.
“It means a lot to me,” he said. “I hoped to be a voice for people who are struggling.”
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