Keelin Godsey (born Kelly Godsey, January 2, 1984) was the first openly transgender athlete to compete for a spot on the United States Olympic team.[1] [2] [3] Godsey was assigned female at birth, has openly identified as male (they/he) since 2005, and competed in women's hammer throw competitions.
Godsey graduated in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in English from Bates College.[4]
Godsey won two national collegiate championships in the women's hammer throw.They set the NCAA Division III record in the hammer throw twice (in 2005 and 2006),[5] a record which they still held as of May 2015. They earned All-America status in four different throwing disciplines: shot put, weight throw, discus throw, and hammer throw. They were named USTFCCCA New England Region track and field athlete of the year twice, and was named to the NCAA Silver Anniversary Division III track and field championship team.
At the 2008 U.S. Olympic trials for the 2008 summer Olympics, Godsey finished in eighth place in the hammer throw.[4]
In 2011, Godsey finished third at the USATF national championships, earning a spot on the U.S. team at the 2011 Pan Am Games, where they finished fifth in the hammer throw.[4]
At the U.S. Olympic trials for the London 2012 summer Olympics, Godsey placed fifth in the women's hammer throw competition at Nike headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon, with a mark of 70.48m (231.23feet), missing a spot on the three-member U.S. team by 0.29m (00.95feet).[6] [7] [8]
| Year | Performance | Place | Date | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 70.48 | Beaverton, Oregon | 21 June | |
| 2011 | 68.90 | Eugene, Oregon | 25 June | |
| 2010 | 64.20 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | 21 May | |
| 2009 | 66.99 | Tucson, Arizona | 23 May | |
| 2008 | 66.22 | Eugene, Oregon | 3 July | |
| 2007 | 64.64 | Cambridge, Massachusetts | 13 July | |
| 2006 | 62.92 | Lisle, Illinois | 26 May | |
| 2005 | 62.82 | Jersey City, New Jersey | 20 May | |
| 2004 | 60.41 | Springfield, Massachusetts | 1 May |