Who was the masked person?
It was Raven Saundersof course — the theatrical American shot putter who uses the pronouns they and them and brings their own distinctive style to every meeting they attend.
Saunders pitched Thursday at the Olympics, wearing a black full face mask and bronze sunglasses and their hair dyed neon green. Saunders refers to this as the “Hulk” look, one that helps them feel like a superhero getting ready to throw that 8.8 kilo piece of metal.
After scratching on their first throw, they registered 17.93 meters on their second and 18.62 on their final to secure a place in Friday’s final.
Saunders won a silver medal at the Tokyo Games and, at the ceremony, crossed their arms and formed an “X” with their wrists.
Saunders explained “X” stood for “the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet.”
The 28-year-old from Charleston, South Carolina, competed at Southern Illinois before transferring to Ole Miss. They won NCAA shot put titles at both schools, in 2015 and 2016.