Paris (AFP) – If they handed out gold medals for unorthodox Olympic costumes, Raven Saunders would already be on top of the podium. The US shot-putter known for distinctive sartorial choices was back in the Olympic arena on Thursday, comfortably qualifying for Friday’s women’s final with a throw of 18.62m.
Saunders, who prefers they/them as pronouns, won Olympic silver in Tokyo three years ago with a distinctive green and purple hairstyle and mask inspired by the Hulk. On Thursday, the 28-year-old stood out with their face covered by a black ski mask, dark sunglasses and a return of the purple and green hairstyle inspired by their Tokyo exploits. A mouth entirely full of glittering gold teeth was intended to send a message that they plan to upgrade Tokyo’s silver to gold, they added.
Saunders, who was suspended for last year’s World Championships due to three whereabouts failures, said their look is intended to boost the profile of shot put. “Just really trying to give us and bring us more light to our particular event,” they said. “It’s one way to really try and make me stand out and really try to encourage other women, a lot of the younger athletes coming through to really push their own styles. To showcase that ‘Yeah, we’re shot-putters — but we have our own style, too.’ We can do things just as big and bright as any sprinter so we deserve that spotlight as well.”
Saunders would like to see Netflix follow up its successful ‘Sprint’ series with a show dedicated to throwing and field events. “Track and field is not just track and at some point there needs to be a field documentary to really show the people why it is that other events are so great,” they said.
Saunders added they had considered quitting the sport during the turmoil of the last few years, which included the death of their mother just days after her Tokyo silver medal as well an 18-month suspension. Now though, Saunders is in a “great headspace.” “With everything’s I have been through, there is no point for me to not be in a great headspace,” they said.
Does Saunders feel like a superhero? “Oh, yeah, absolutely,” they replied. “Aren’t we all?”
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