Raven Saunders

Early life

Raven Saunders was born on May 15, 1996, in Charleston, South Carolina. They have a younger sister.

Saunders placed first at the 2014 US Junior Championships, and made their international debut at the 2014 World Junior Championships in Athletics in Eugene, Oregon and took the silver medal behind Guo Tianqian of China (who was Asian champion one year later). Saunders raised funds through the internet in order to attend the meeting, which was nearly 3,000 miles away from their hometown in South Carolina.

2015: Start of NCAA career at SIU, Pan Am Junior Champion Saunders started their NCAA career at Southern Illinois University (SIU), where they won shot put titles at the 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Indoor Track and Field Championships, 2015 NCAA Indoor Championships, 2015 Missouri Valley Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships, and the 2015 NCAA Outdoor Championships.

Saunders was the first American junior athlete to throw beyond 18 meters. They continued to improve their American junior records and broke the Missouri Valley Conference record.

2016: Transfer to Ole Miss, Rio Olympics As a sophomore, Saunders transferred to the University of Mississippi and competed for the Ole Miss Rebels track team. They won shot put titles at the 2016 Southeastern Conference Track and Field Championships (both indoor and outdoor) and the 2016 NCAA Outdoor Championships, and placed 12th at 2016 NCAA Indoor Championships.

Saunders broke the 23-year-old outdoor championship record with their shot put throw of in 2016.

Saunders successfully made their first Olympic team with a throw of at the 2016 United States Olympic Trials, coming second only to Michelle Carter, who would go on to become the first American woman to win the gold medal in shot put at the Rio Olympics.

Saunders competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, placing 5th with a throw of .

2018–2020: Leaving Ole Miss, turning pro, injuries In February 2018, Saunders announced they were leaving Ole Miss due to “personal and medical issues,” but that they intended to return to complete their degree.

In April 2018, Saunders turned professional, launching this new phase of their career as a shot putter at the War Eagle Invitational at Auburn University with a throw of .

In June 2018, Saunders announced that they had signed with Nike, the same week that they finished third in shot put at the USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships with a throw of .

At the end of the 2018 season, Saunders had surgery on their elbow, followed by hip surgery in May 2019, taking them out of competition for the rest of 2019. Saunders returned to competition in early 2020, taking part in only two meets before the COVID-19 pandemic canceled the rest of the season.

On August 1, 2021, at the pandemic-delayed Tokyo Olympics, Saunders won the silver medal in shot put, with a throw of .

On the podium during the medal ceremony, Saunders raised their arms above their head and formed an "X" with their wrists, later explaining: “It’s the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet.“ As a result, the IOC launched a probe to whether the gesture violated Olympic rules, which prohibited athletes from "[any] kind of demonstration or political, religious or racial propaganda" in any Olympic site, including playing fields and podiums.

The United States Olympic Committee defended Saunders' gesture, stating that it did not breach its rules as it was a "peaceful expression in support of racial and social justice that was respectful of [their] competitors."

On August 3, it was announced that Saunders’ mother Clarissa had died at an Olympics watch party in Florida for athletes’ families. The next day, the IOC suspended its investigation into Saunders' gesture on the podium.

In October 2021, Saunders had another surgery on their hip. Nine months later, they returned to compete at the 2022 USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, placing 4th in shot put with a throw of and missing out on competing at the 2022 World Athletics Championships.

2023: Anti-doping rule violation Saunders served an 18-month competition ban from August 2022 to February 2024 issued by United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) for three "whereabouts" failures during a 12-month period, in which they either missed drug testing or failed to submit paperwork indicating where they could be found.

2024: Paris Olympics At the 2024 Paris Olympics, Saunders qualified for the shot put final with a throw of . In the final, Saunders finished 11th with a top throw of .

2025: Second anti-doping rule violation In September 2025, the USADA announced that Saunders had accepted a second suspension of 2 1/2 years for additional "whereabouts" violations. Their suspension was retroactive to December 2024.

Personal life Saunders is non-binary and queer, having come out to their mother as queer in the third grade.

Saunders has been outspoken about their struggles with depression and suicidal ideation. They have worked as an advocate for racial justice, mental health, and animal rights for bovines, especially bulls.

International competitions

National competitions

NCAA competitions