Transgender Team USA alternate BMX Cyclist Chelsea Wolfe reportedly said she would “burn a US flag on the podium” if she won a medal during the games this year in Tokyo, Japan.
“My goal is to win the Olympics so I can burn a US flag on the podium,” Wolfe reportedly said in a now deleted Facebook post on March 25. “That is what they focus on during a pandemic. Hurting trans children.”
Wolfe’s post linked to a 2020 Pinknews story on the administration of former President Donald Trump wanting transgender girls treated as biological boys.
Wolfe, 28, of Florida, is one of six members that were announced on the official Team USA roster this week for the debut of BMX cycling in the Tokyo games, and one of only two transgender athletes on the roster so far.
“It's taking a bit to fully register that after so many years of work we finally have the @teamusa BMX freestyle squad for the @olympics, and that after so much work and overcoming so many obstacles that I've qualified to represent the United States as the alternate rider,” Wolfe posted on Facebook June 12. “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.”
When news of her deleted post hit on Monday, Wolfe said she cares about the country she will represent in the games this summer.
“Anyone who thinks that I don't care about the United States is sorely mistaken," Wolfe told Fox News. "One of the reasons why I work so hard to represent the United States in international competition is to show the world that this country has morals and values, that it's not all of the bad things that we're known for. I take a stand against fascism because I care about this country and I'm not going to let it fall into the hands of fascists after so many people have fought and sacrificed to prevent fascism from taking hold abroad. As a citizen who wants to be proud of my home country, I'm sure as hell not going to let it take hold here."
According to her biography on the USA Cycling website, Wolfe began racing at the age of six in April 2000, competing at the state and national levels until she was in her early 20s.
She took an interest in BMX Freestyle riding on her 15th birthday and started competing in that genre in 2014 at the Florida BMX park series.
She finished third at both the US National and Pan American Championships during the 2019 season.
In a Twitter post on April 14, Wolfe said that the Olympic competitors are more than just athletes.
“You know us as athletes. We're so much more,” she said. “We are artists, activists, dreamers, and doers. And we are unstoppable.”
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