Who is Raven 'Hulk' Saunders? The American masked shot put star who qualified for the final at the 2024 Paris Olympics
Published 08/08/2024 at 17:08 GMT+1
Raven 'Hulk' Saunders, who won silver in the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, has qualified for Friday's shot put final. The American athlete has become an online sensation after fans warmed to their face mask, colorful hair and sunglasses during the event. In Friday's final, Saunders will aim to beat China's Gong Lijiao, who won gold in Tokyo and qualified one place above Saunders.
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Raven Saunders caught the eye of spectators during the women’s shot-put event, with their multi-coloured hair, bright sunglasses and face mask covering their nose and mouth.
The American secured the silver medal in the shot-put event at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, with a throw of 19.79m.
Saunders started wearing the mask when athletes were required to do so due to Covid-19 and has not stopped since.
Speaking to Yahoo Sports after claiming silver in Tokyo, Saunders said: "I like to be my biggest supporter.
"I really can’t repeat [what I say] because y’all are going to have to bleep out most of the things I say anyway.
"But pretty much to sum it up, I’m telling myself, 'you got it, you got it, you’re a champion, you have to push, you got to push, nobody is going to give it to you, you have to work, you have to grind, you got to get it'. Things like that, just a lot of positive affirmations to be able to give myself the power and be able to get done what I need to get done."
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Saunders did not have the best build up to Paris 2024, as they were suspended by the United States Anti-Doping Agency in March for a year due to being absent for three doping tests.
The American athlete has qualified for the shot put final in Paris, finishing fourth in the second qualification group with a distance of 18.62m.
Canadian Sarah Mitton produced the best throw of qualification, reaching a distance of 19.77m.
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When is the women's shot put final?
The final is due to take place on Friday, August 9 at 18:37 UK time, with Saunders hopeful of going one further than Tokyo and winning the gold medal.
China's Gong won gold at Tokyo 2020 and will be looking for a repeat in Paris, qualifying one spot above Saunders in Group B.
Saunders was given the nickname 'Hulk' due to their physical nature, with the athlete 5ft 5in in height and extremely powerful.
Saunders has embraced the nickname, saying: “Early on, similar to the Hulk, I had a tough time differentiating between the two; I had a tough time controlling when the Hulk came out or when the Hulk didn’t come out.
“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. But when the Hulk came out, the Hulk was smashing everything that needed to be smashed."
discovery+ is the streaming home of the Olympic Games, and the only place you can watch every moment of Paris 2024 this summer
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