Paris (AFP)
American shot put thrower Raven Saunders, the runner-up at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, competed in the qualifiers wearing a mask that completely concealed her face, explaining her decision by wanting to highlight the competition at the 2024 Paris Games.
Saunders, who dyed her short hair purple and green and painted her long nails in the colors of the United States, started out wearing a thick black mask covering her entire face and sunglasses.
She justified her strange appearance after reaching the final, saying, “I wanted to try to get the world’s attention, and shed more light on our competition.”
“We compete in iron ball competitions, but we also have our own style. We can do things great like runners and we deserve the spotlight,” she continued.
The American, who specifies on social media that she wants to use the pronoun “they” when talking about herself (they, which is used by people other than men and women), is also an activist for LGBT rights and mental health issues, and has decided to use the Olympics as a political platform.
In Tokyo, three years ago, Saunders wore a Hulk mask to compete and, as she took the podium, raised her arms in an X, later explaining that she wanted to represent “all the people around the world who are struggling and who don’t have a platform to have their voices heard.”
Saunders is returning from an 18-month ban, which ended in February 2024, after failing to report to the Anti-Doping Commission three times within 12 months.
Saunders qualified for the final with a throw of 18.62 metres, while her compatriot and two-time world champion Chase Jackson failed to join the ranks of the qualifiers, after her best throw was only 17.60 metres.
#AlMuqannaa #Iron #final