- Raven Saunders is known for wearing a mask and sunglasses while competing.
- Why does the American athlete, nicknamed ‘Hulk’, adopt a unique look?
- Follow Mail Sport’s live blog with all the action and reaction from the Olympic Games
If you watch the women’s shot put event at the Olympics, you might notice an athlete wearing a mask and shoes and sporting vibrant green and purple hair.
That person 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 are hoping to see a repeat of the Hulk mask Saunders wore in 2021. It’s not often you see a crossover between the Olympics and Marvel.
But why the effort to have such a distinctive look? Saunders has revealed that the mask deters other athletes to increase focus and self-motivation, but it is also part of adopting the “Hulk” alter ego.
“I like to be my own biggest supporter. I can’t really repeat myself because they’re going to have to censor most of the stuff I say anyway,” said Saunders, who prefers the pronouns “they”/”them.” Yahoo Sports.
Raven Saunders has surprised fans with a distinctive look: a black mask, sunglasses, and green and purple hair.
The shot put star, who identifies with they/them pronouns, is competing in her third Olympics as a women’s athlete.
In Tokyo, Saunders went viral for wearing a Hulk mask, part of embracing an alter ego.
‘But basically, to sum it up, I tell myself: ‘You got it, you got it, you’re a champion, you have to try, you have to work hard, nobody’s going to give it to you, you have to work, you have to work hard, you have to get it.’
‘Things like that, just a lot of positive affirmations to be able to empower myself and be able to do what I need to do (without others interfering).’
Fans are liking the look. One wrote on X: “I’d never heard of Raven Saunders until about 10 minutes ago but now I totally adore them. Launch events need more badasses!”
Saunders, who made it through qualifying in seventh place, opted for a black mask, but don’t be surprised to see the South Carolina native wearing a Hulk-themed one.
“At first, like with Hulk, I had a hard time differentiating between the two; I had a hard time controlling when Hulk was coming out and when he wasn’t,” Saunders told Yahoo Sport.
‘But through my journey, especially dealing with mental health and things like that, I learned to compartmentalize, the same way Bruce Banner learned to control the Hulk, he learned to let the Hulk out at the right times and in that way it also gave him a sign of peace of mind.
“But when Hulk came out, Hulk was smashing everything that needed smashing.”
Saunders was originally given the nickname ‘Hulk’ due to his powerful 5’5″ stature.
However, Saunders’ journey to Paris, after making her debut in Rio before competing in Tokyo, has not been easy.
Saunders explained that wearing a mask improves concentration, as other athletes cannot interfere by talking.
The American athlete took silver in Tokyo and hopes to do better this time
In 2021, the shot put sensation told Action 5 News that suicidal thoughts had taken over her at times.
“I wanted to show people that this is real, that there are a lot of us dealing with this,” Saunders said. “I wanted to be the one to say something and show how close I was to doing it, and that you’re not alone when someone else is going down that path.”
