Mask-wearing shot put athlete Raven Saunders to represent Team USA

Raven Saunders, the mask-wearing shot put star, will again represent Team USA in the summer Olympics, after a second-place finish in the track and field trials Saturday in Eugene, Oregon.

“Words really can’t describe the fact of me even being here in this moment, me being able to come out and compete and throw as far as I did with everything I’ve been through,” said Saunders, who is making their third Olympic appearance. “It’s a blessing that I’m even here right now.”

Saunders competes in the women's division but goes by the prefers pronoun "they."

The 2024 games in Paris present an opportunity for redemption for Saunders, who earned a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, then was suspended for violating drug testing rules.

The U.S. Anti-Doping Agency in August 2022 suspended him for 18 months for failing to show up for their doping tests.

Saunders used their time away to focus on mental health.

“I really became at peace with it, and I just really took it as more time to be able to get to grind,” Saunders said, reflecting on the suspension. “More time to just focus on making this Olympic team, more time to focus on myself and on my mental health. So it actually proved to be a benefit to myself.”

Known for sporting a mask in competition, Saunders wore a Day of the Dead style garment in their qualifying trials.

“It’s a way to show people that I’m back,” they said of the choice. “People didn’t think I could come back to this moment.”

The Paris Olympics begin on July 26.