Chris Mosier is the first transgender man to make a U.S. National Team, to become an Olympian and to star in a Nike advertisement.
In Nike’s 32-years of television advertising, there has never been a transgender man in a commercial—until now. The advertisment is a part of Nike’s “Unlimited” campaign, and was aired Monday night during NBC’s Olympic newscast. Mosier says that the brand’s “just do it” mentality is something that carried him to the place he is now.
“Everything that I’ve done in the last five, six years since I started to transition, has been with [a] ‘Just Do It’ mindset, I didn’t know if I would be competitive against men; I just did it,” Mosier said in a statement. “Every success that I’ve had since then has shown me that anything is really possible. By not stopping myself, not limiting myself and just really going for it, I’ve learned a lot about myself and also had the opportunity to further the conversation on trans inclusion in sports.”
Chris Mosier is a duathlete, meaning he competes in the duathlon, a race that includes both running and biking. After winning a spot on the 2016 Men’s National Team, Mosier still faced adversity. Throughout all his training, the possibility of becoming an Olympian was uncertain—The games were still banned to transgender athletes due to crossovers in anti-doping regulations and hormone therapy. After the International Olympic Commission (IOC) passed regulations allowing transgender athletes to compete in January 2016, Mosier was given the opportunity to represent his country in the Rio Olympics.
“It’s a relief that next barrier has been knocked down,” Mosier told Rolling Stone about the new Olympic rules on transgender athletes. “It was initially frustrating, but more than frustrating it was disappointing to see the regulatory inequality and the issues that not only I faced, but so many trans athletes faced. Through the process it became so clear why so many trans people quit playing sports. But now those old rules aren’t a reason to quit.”
Mosier’s huge achievement as an Olympic competitor is impressive and inspiring, proving that the only bar to Olympic greatness should be the work an athlete puts into it—not their identity.