- Raven Saunders is known for wearing a mask and shades while competing
- Why does the American athlete – nicknamed ‘the Hulk’ – adopt a unique look?
- Follow Mail Sport’s live blog for all the action and reaction at the Olympics
If you watch the women’s shot put event at the Olympics, you might notice an athlete wearing a mask and shades and sporting vibrant green and purple hair.
That would be none other than Raven Saunders, who has become known for adopting a distinctive look.
The Tokyo silver medallist is back at the Games and fans will be hoping to see a repeat of the Hulk mask Saunders wore in 2021. It’s not often you see an Olympics-Marvel crossover.
But why the concerted effort to have such a distinctive appearance? Saunders has revealed the mask boosts concentration and self-motivation, but it’s also part of embracing the ‘Hulk’ alter ego.
‘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,’ Saunders, who prefers they/them pronouns, told Yahoo Sport.
Raven Saunders has wowed fans with a distinctive look – a black mask, shades, and green and purple hair
The shot put star – who identifies with they/them pronouns – is competing at a third Olympics in the women’s category
In Tokyo Saunders went viral for wearing a Hulk mask, part of embracing an alter-ego
‘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 gotta push, nobody is going to give it to you, you have to work, you have to grind, you gotta 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 (without others interfering).’
Fans like the look. One wrote on X: ‘I’d never heard of Raven Saunders until about 10 minutes, but now I absolutely adore them. The throwing events need more bad a**es!’
Making it through qualifying in seventh, Saunders opted for a black mask, but don’t be surprised if you see the South Carolina native wearing a Hulk-themed one either.
‘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,’ Saunders told Yahoo Sport.
‘But through my journey, especially dealing with mental health and things like that, I learned how to compartmentalize, 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.’
Saunders was originally assigned the nickname ‘Hulk’ due to having a powerful 5ft 5ins frame.
Saunders has explained that wearing the mask boosts concentration as other athletes cannot interfere by talking
The American athlete took home silver in Tokyo and is hoping for one better this time
Yet Saunders’ journey to Paris, having debuted in Rio before competing in Tokyo, has not been an easy one.
In 2021, the shot put sensation told Action 5 News that suicidal thoughts had been overbearing on occasion.
‘I wanted to show people that it is real, you know there are many of us that deal with this,’ Saunders said. ‘I wanted to be the one that says something and showed how close I was, and to someone else going down that route you’re not on your own.’
