Watch Chris Mosier Refuse To Give Up In Nike’s First-Ever Ad Featuring A Transgender Athlete

It’s been quite the year for Chris Mosier. Back in June, it was announced that the transgender duathelete (running and cycling) would be one of the athletes featured in ESPN’s Body Issue. Now, he’s paired up with Nike for a commercial spot that just ran during NBC’s coverage of the Olympics on Monday.

The ad is part of Nike’s “Unlimited” campaign, which features athletes like gymnast Simone Biles and tennis great Serena Williams. Mosier’s lines are simple but powerful, speaking to the uncertainty about his athletic career following the start of his transition in 2010. When the narrator asks him how he knew he’d be fast enough to compete against men, he replies, “I didn’t.” When asked how he knew the team would accept him, he replies, “I didn’t.” When asked how he knew he’d be allowed to compete, he replies — you got it — “I didn’t.”

And then, the twist. ”That must have been tough,” the narrator says. “Didn’t you ever just wanna give up?”

“Yeah, but I didn’t.” Mosier replies. It’s a message that fits perfectly with Nike’s slogan, “Just Do It.” Mosier didn’t know what the future would hold — but he still went ahead and just did it anyway. As he told Esquire,

I didn’t know if I would be competitive against men; I just did it. 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.”

Inclusion that could soon include the Olympics. While there are no transgender athletes competing in this year’s Olympics in Rio, the IOCC’s change to the transgender guidelines earlier this year officially opens the door to athletes who haven’t undergone gender-reassignment surgery, requiring only one year of HRT before competing.

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