Nikki Hiltz made their feelings known after registering a fifth-place finish in the women’s 1500m race at the 2025 World Athletics Championships in Tokyo. This was Hiltz’s third World Championships final and their best result on the global stage.In their 2019 World Championships debut in Doha, Hiltz advanced to the final and finished 12th overall with a time of 4:06.68. Later, at the 2023 World Championships in Budapest, Hiltz placed 11th in heat 2 of the semifinals and did not advance to the final.Post-race, Hiltz reflected on the achievement in an Instagram story, writing:“Highest finish ever at a global championships! Feeling a mix of emotions right now but overall proud of myself and grateful for my people.”Screenshot of story (IG/@nikkihiltz)Hiltz clocked 3:57.08 to take fifth place in a highly competitive field featuring Faith Kipyegon, Jessica Hull, and Nelly Chepchirchir. Kipyegon clinched the title in 3:52.12, followed by Dorcus Ewoi in 3:54.92 and Hull in 3:55.16.Hiltz advanced to the final after placing third in the semifinal heat with a time of 4:07.04. Hiltz was the top American finisher in the final, ahead of Sinclaire Johnson, who placed 13th in 4:00.92.Nikki Hiltz gets real on setbacks including injury and scary car accidentNikki Hiltz at World Athletics Championships Tokyo 2025 - Source: GettyNikki Hiltz entered the World Athletics Championships with a season-best of 3:55.94 set at the Brussels Diamond League. They skipped the Zurich Diamond League final to focus fully on Worlds.Hiltz has won six consecutive national titles in the 1500m, claiming their sixth straight crown at the 2025 US Nationals with a time of 4:03.15. After the nationals, Hiltz opened up about how challenging the season had been. Earlier in March, they made a coaching change, moving from longtime mentor Mike Smith to Juli Benson.“It’s been a hard year. Like, I think from the outside, you can see it looks very linear, like, ‘Oh, Nikki’s just repeating and running well,’ but it’s been so hard… So I switched coaches. In March, I started working with Julie, which isn’t that long ago. It’s been a bit of an adjustment… But even change, like, even if it’s good change, change is hard.” (via Speakurpiece)“You know, and then I had a little hamstring thing come up. I've never dealt with a muscle injury before. Like, all my injuries have been bone injuries, which sucks, but you’re just in a boot, and then it’s fixed. But a muscle injury was weird... And then Emma and I, my partner and I, got in a really scary car accident. Yeah, it was in the middle of June, and it just rocked us. Like, it was just scary.” View this post on Instagram Instagram PostAlongside the Diamond League and outdoor national title, Nikki Hiltz also won the 1500m and 3000m at the USATF Indoor Championships in February.