Raven Saunders, the mask-wearing shot putter, finishes 11th in Olympic final

SAINT-DENIS, France (AP) - Raven Saunders dressed up for the moment in a full black face mask, gold teeth, hair dyed neon green and purple and, new to the look, superlong nails featuring their alter ego, The Hulk.

There will be no medals to complete the ensemble, though. The standout shot putter was out after three throws at the Olympics on Friday night, finishing 11th out of the 12 athletes who made the final. Yemisi Ogunleye of Germany captured gold in a competition that began in the rain.

Saunders, who uses the pronouns they and them, said they were at peace with not adding another medal to the silver they won in Tokyo three years ago.

"At the end of the day, I know who I am. I know what I'm capable of and I know where I stand," said Saunders, whose top throw was 17.79 meters (58 feet, 4 1/2 inches). "For me, it's just about going back to the drawing board."

Saunders never could get on track - nor turn completely into the The Hulk, their alter ego that makes them feel like a superhero.

The 28-year-old Saunders said their plan is to be ready for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. This is not the end of their career.

"Every loss that I've taken has propelled me to do something even better," Saunders said. "And where I stand right now, and this is even more of a propeller to grind."

When they were introduced to the crowd at Stade de France on Friday, Saunders crossed their arms and formed an X with their wrists.

It’s the same gesture they made at the medals ceremony in Tokyo. Saunders explained the X stood for "the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet."

The consolation prize of their evening? Saunders said they got a picture with sprinter Sha’Carri Richardson, who helped the women’s 4×100 relay to a gold medal.

Saunders 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 after qualifying. "With everything that I have been through, there is no point for me to not to be in a great headspace."

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