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Raven Saunders is through to the final of the women’s shot put at the Olympics in Paris as they look to upgrade the silver medal they won in Tokyo three years ago.
The American, who uses they/them pronouns, has promised a colourful outfit for their final, to continue their eye-catching appearances at the Games so far. Saunders has worn a full face mask and sunglasses throughout their appearances at the Olympics, with their hair dyed neon green and purple. It’s all part of their “Hulk” alter-ego, which Saunders turns into when they perform.
The 28-year-old said they struggled with their mental health before the Olympics but takes strength from wearing the mask during competitions, which they started doing during the pandemic but continued after restrictions were lifted because it helps them to stay focused. Saunders also said they identify with the Hulk’s journey to control his strength and power.
“But through my journey, especially dealing with mental health and things like that, I learned how to compartmentalise, the same way that Bruce Banner learned to control the Hulk, learned how to let the Hulk come out during the right moments and that way it also gave him a sign of mental peace,” they told Yahoo Sports in 2021. "But when the Hulk came out, the Hulk was smashing everything that needed to be smashed."
Saunders is gay and when they won silver at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 they crossed their arms to form an ‘X’ on the podium. The gesture, which was investigated by the IOC, was for “the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet”. After winning silver, Saunders said: “Shout out to all my black people. Shout out to all my LGBTQ community. Shout out to all my people dealing with mental health. At the end of the day, we understand it’s bigger than us and it’s bigger than the powers that be.”
Saunders was banned from the world championships in 2023 after receiving an 18-month suspension for missing drug tests. Their mother died unexpectedly after the Tokyo Olympics but Saunders said they were in a “great headspace” after qualifying for Friday night’s shot put final.
“With everything that I have been through, there is no point for me to not to be in a great headspace,” they said.
