Team USA’s shot put star Raven Saunders, known as the “The Hulk,” stunned the Tokyo Olympics on Friday by wearing a Joker mask from the DC Comic Universe.
The Team USA Twitter account shared two pictures of Saunders saying, “.@GiveMe1Shot understood the assignment.” The pictures show her styling green and purple hair that were the typical colors to match the Joker’s look, along with holographic sunglasses and a mask showing the comic villain’s notorious look.
The 25-year-old second-time Olympian on Friday threw the shot 19.22 meters which equal roughly 63 feet. The throw earned Saunders a spot in the finals on Sunday.
During the trials earlier in the week, Saunders sported a Hulk mask and green hair, broke her personal best and the meet record. NBC Sports shared the video on Twitter with her reaction.
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The New York Post reported that the South Carolina native “admitted her outfit choices get ‘lots of looks’ but they serve as an icebreaker for the athlete.”
“One of my things is like, everyone during the shot put, and I don’t know why people are always smiling and talking. That’s not really me,” Saunders added. “This is my way of like, being friendly, I guess?”
Saunders shared a video online, Thursday, sharing a portion of her journey to the Olympics. She said leading up to the Olympics, and this year, she has “been through so much recovery” after recovering from a hip injury in 2019.