Raven Saunders made a splash during the women’s shot put qualification at the Paris Olympics on Thursday as the American attempts to upgrade from their silver medal at the Tokyo Games.

Saunders – who uses they/them pronouns – wore a full-face black mask and sunglasses as they attempted to make the final. Their hair was also dyed green and purple, set off with gold grills over their teeth. “I’m in full form,” Saunders said of the outfit. “I had to remind the people, I am who I am.”

Saunders uses their “Hulk” alter ego when competing to deal with the stress that comes with elite-level sport. They say they identify with the superhero’s difficult road towards controlling his strength and power.

Related: Raven Saunders throws up X on podium to represent where the ‘oppressed meet’

“Early on, similar to the Hulk, I had a tough time differentiating between the two; I had a tough time controlling when the Hulk came out or when the Hulk didn’t come out,” they told Yahoo Sports in 2021. “But through my journey, especially dealing with mental health and things like that, I learned how to compartmentalize, the same way that Bruce Banner learned to control the Hulk, learned how to let the Hulk come out during the right moments and that way it also gave him a sign of mental peace. But when the Hulk came out, the Hulk was smashing everything that needed to be smashed.”

The 28-year-old became used to wearing masks during Covid restrictions and has continued, saying it helps them focus and avoid talking to other competitors who may distract them during meets.

Saunders, who is Black and gay, formed an “X” with their wrists on the podium when they collected their silver in Tokyo. Saunders, who has been an advocate for LGBTQ rights and mental health awareness, said the gesture represented “the intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet”, adding that they hoped the medal would help “people all around the world who are fighting and don’t have the platform to speak up for themselves”.

The IOC launched an investigation into the gesture as it had banned athletes from protesting on the podium in Tokyo but Saunders was not punished.

Saunders, who enjoys playing the piano in their spare time, made their Olympic debut in Rio, finishing fifth before winning silver in Tokyo. The American was also a talented basketball player before focusing on track and field in college.

“I had hoop dreams. I first picked up the shot put as something to help with basketball,” Saunders said. “I did not think much of it, but I had been playing basketball since third grade. I was actually thinking of moving to Florida with a cousin before I started with the shot put. So it gave me a reason to stay back home and train.”

Saunders’s third attempt of 18.62m on Thursday qualified them for Friday’s final. Canada’s Sarah Mitton led the qualifiers with a throw of 19.77m. There was a shock elsewhere in the heats however as USA’s double Olympic champion, Chase Jackson, failed to make the final. She recorded fouls on her first two attempts and her third attempt of 17.60m was not good enough progress. “I do not really know what happened,” Jackson said. “I guess the pressure got to me. I don’t really have a lot to say about it. I just want to get to my family.”

Saunders was given an 18-month ban for missing three doping tests and missed the 2023 world championships. The suspension ended in February 2024, allowing them to compete at the Paris Games.

Saunders has said they have struggled with their mental health in the buildup to the Games but hopes to inspire others.

“I honestly said that If I made this team, when I made this team, that it was for the people,” Saunders said. “It was for the people that reminded me of who I was when I was down, when I was out, when I was suspended.”

As for their dress code in Friday’s final, Saunders says they have some ideas already. “I have something even better,” they said.