What does the average person know about shot put? Did you know that you’re not meant to throw the ball? Did you know that it must be propelled from around the neck or chin? And did you know that the ball can come in the shape of a cube or even a dodecahedron? Of course you didn’t, because I made that last rule up. But it basically goes to show how little we actually know about many field events.
While things like football and basketball are on TV year-round, shot put is just one of those sports that you don’t really pay much attention to—unless it’s during one of the biggest athletic events in human history. So when you’re on primetime telly once every four years, you want to make sure your fits bang hard—and Raven Saunders is doing just that during the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
TOPSHOT – US’ Raven Saunders competes in the women’s shot put qualification of the athletics event at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Stade de France in Saint-Denis, north of Paris, on August 8, 2024. (Photo by Ben STANSALL / AFP) (Photo by BEN STANSALL/AFP via Getty Images)BEN STANSALL/Getty Images
With a black mask that covers their entire face and some ultra-futuristic sunglasses from Nike, Saunders looks a bit like DC supervillain Bane (FYI: the original ’93 one, not the Tom Hardy version in 2012’s The Dark Knight Rises). And it’s an aesthetic that’s been going on for some time now. At the 2020 Games in Tokyo, Saunders brought home a shiny silver medal while, again, in a mask and wraparounds that US broadcaster NPR referred to as “Joker mode.”
Remember the Covid-19 pandemic when we all had to wear masks? Yeah, they were stuffy and sweaty and most of us didn’t really like ’em, but Saunders sure did. That’s where all of this started. In a 2021 interview, the athlete said they used it as a “keep away” sign during competitions. And while there’s a pleasant level of chit-chat at events, it was a sort of armor for them. This would later transform into an entire persona. The University of Mississippi alum began dyeing their hair green and purple, and they started wearing a mask that was inspired by Marvel superhero the Hulk (which, coincidentally, has become a bit of a nickname). And despite being just 5’5″, this entire vibe was intimidating as hell, and for Saunders, it was developed out of pure necessity.
