SWANZEY, N.H. — During a drive on a steep, winding road in this small town, it would not be surprising these days to see an elite hurdler jump into the bushes to avoid being hit by a car.
That hurdler, CeCe Telfer, is hoping to qualify for the United States Olympic trials, which begin June 18 in Eugene, Ore. The asphalt road is her primary training facility.
In 2019, Telfer became the first openly transgender woman to win an N.C.A.A. title; she was a fifth-year senior at Franklin Pierce University, a Division II school in Rindge, N.H.
Now she is among a handful of transgender women seeking to reach the Tokyo Games, which begin in late July. Olympic historians say that no athletes at the Winter or Summer Games have publicly identified.