Raven Sanders, the open, proud, masked and gritty athlete who made a special story out of winning a silver medal in the shot put at the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, did the same Saturday night at the U.S. Olympic Trials in Eugene, Oregon.
Sanders placed second with a jump of 19.90 meters (65 feet 3.5 inches), qualifying for his third Olympic Games. In addition to competing in Tokyo, Sanders was also selected for the U.S. team for the Rio Olympics in 2016, where he placed fifth.
As reported by the Associated Press and confirmed by his Instagram profile, Sanders' pronouns are “they/them.”
They set the tone for Saturday's competition with an astounding opening throw of 19.88 (65 feet 2 3/4 inches).
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In the second round throw, former University of Oregon thrower and local prospect Jada Ross, a two-time Oregon high school state champion, threw 19.60 meters (64 feet, 3.5 inches) to earn Paris the third and final spot.
Chase Jackson won the race in the fourth round. The two-time world outdoor champion improved to 20.10 meters (65 feet, 11.5 inches) to win his seventh USA Track and Field Championship.
Jackson's win also qualified her for her first Olympic Games. She had finished seventh and fifth in the previous two U.S. Olympic Trials.
Before his final throw, Sanders fouled off two other potentially clinching wins in the event.
Sanders, now 28, made a huge impact in Tokyo: Her gesture on the podium – raising her arms above her head to form an “X” as a personal expression of support for the intersectionality of all people – was seen as an act of protest and was the subject of an IOC investigation, but was later dropped.
As they prepared for the Olympics, they took to social media to share OutSports' list of athletes who have come out at the Olympics, as well as their own stories of coming out to their mother, Clarissa, when they were in the third grade. They said they had fully come out by the time they won an NCAA title while at Ole Miss.
Sanders was devastated by the news of Clarissa's passing, shortly after winning the silver medal in Tokyo. “My number one guardian angel, I love you forever,” the couple tweeted at the time.
Sanders was given a retroactive 18-month suspension for missing a doping test in March 2023. The suspension ends in February, allowing the team to try to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 2021 Outsports Female Hero of the Year was on a fiery note Saturday, removing her trademark mask and sunglasses, revealing a flashy manicure and blessing the Hayward Field crowd with a twerking dance move in pre-Olympic celebration.
