Courtesy of Raven Saunders
Sports Illustrated and Empower Onyx are putting the spotlight on the diverse journeys of Black women across sports—from the veteran athletes, to up-and-coming stars, coaches, executives and more—in the series, Elle-evate: 100 Influential Black Women in Sports.
Two-time Olympian and track and field superstar Raven Saunders is used to all of the attention. A 5’5” queer, Black woman, the self-proclaimed “Hulk” had to defy the odds to become one of the most prolific shot putters in recent Olympic history. She gained the world’s attention at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics when she took to the winner’s podium to receive her silver medal and threw up her arms in an X, honoring “the intersection where all oppressed peoples meet,” she says.