Raven Saunders, the mask-wearing shot putter, heads into Olympic final looking to grab another medal

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) — Raven Saunders has a chance to add another hue — either gold, silver or bronze — to their already colorful repertoire.

The standout shot putter, who qualified for the Olympic finals wearing what they call their “Hulk” regalia — full face mask, hair dyed neon green and purple — returns to the field Friday night for the medal round.

Saunders, who uses the pronouns they and them, said they had a new outfit planned for the final, and if things go well, they’ll have another medal to go with the silver they won in Tokyo three years ago.

The 28-year-old from Charleston, South Carolina, missed the 2023 world championships when they were suspended for 18 months because of three “whereabouts failures” — missing drug tests — within a 12-month period.

It was all part of a dark time for Saunders, whose mom died unexpectedly just after the Tokyo Games.

“I am in a great headspace,” Saunders said. “With everything that I have been through, there is no point for me to not to be in a great headspace.”

Saunders' U.S. teammate Jaida Ross is also in the final, along with Canada's Sarah Mitton, who had the top throw in qualifying. American Chase Jackson, the world champion in 2022 and 2023, failed to qualify for the final.

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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games