When U.S. shot putter Raven Saunders is competing, she calls herself the “Hulk.” It’s the alter ego that bursts onto the field to fight for championships.
Saunders — with the help of her “Hulk” persona — took silver in the women’s shot put final at the Tokyo Summer Olympics. She hurled the heavy ball 19.79 meters, or nearly 65 feet. It’s the third medal ever for the U.S. in the women’s event and it’s Saunders’ first.
“I remember my first Olympics, being able to watch Michelle Carter come out here and, you know, get it done,” she said, referring to the U.S. female gold medalist in shot put at the 2016 Games. “I made sure that when I came out from 2016, constantly fighting and constantly pushing through everything, I made sure I walked away with a medal.”
China’s Gong Lijiao took gold and Valerie Adams, of New Zealand, won bronze.
It was a long journey to Tokyo for Saunders, after years of openly struggling with depression following the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro and then leaving the world stage to return to normal life. She was hospitalized, she suffered through injuries and then got a second chance to compete on the world stage.
Saunders said she’s been so open about her mental health struggles so others don’t feel alone. It’s also why she wears her identities so proudly as a gay Black woman.
“Being able to walk away with a medal and be able to go out here and really inspire so many people in the LGBTQ community, so many people who have been dealing with mental health issues,” she said. “So many people in the African-American community, so many people who are Black all around the world. I really just hope that I can continue to inspire and motivate.”
Saunders is one of at least 179 LGBTQ athletes competing in the Games, according to Outsports. It’s by far the most out athletes to ever compete in an Olympics.
On the medal podium, she crossed her wrists above her head in an “X.” Later, she explained the meaning: “It’s the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet,” she said,