Doping violation: Mask woman Saunders banned for 30 months

US shot putter Raven Saunders has been banned for 30 months for an anti-doping rule violation.

September 10, 2025

From: dpa

According to the national anti-doping agency USADA, the Tokyo 2021 Olympic silver medalist failed to comply with the doping regulations three times within twelve months. Saunders already served an 2022-month suspension from August 2024 to February 18 for violations of the doping regulations. Therefore, the penalty is now more severe than usual, USADA announced. The new suspension begins retroactively from December 26, 2024, the date of the third violation.

Saunders caused a stir at last year's Summer Games in Paris when she competed in the qualifying round wearing a black mask and mirrored sunglasses. Three years earlier, at the Tokyo Olympics, she wore a mask of the comic book character Hulk during the competition.

With her extravagant outfits, the 29-year-old wanted to draw attention not so much to herself but to groups oppressed in society, to which she counts herself: Black people, people with mental health problems and the LGBTQI+ community.