Oregon's Bowerman Award Finalist Jaida Ross Joins Two Global Medalists, Chase Jackson and Raven Saunders, On U.S. Women's Shot Put Team 

By Lori Shontz for DyeStat

John Nepolitan photos

EUGENE – After finishing fifth at the U.S. Olympic Trials in 2021, shot putter Chase Jackson took the black medal she’d received and hung it where she had to look at it all the time. It served as a reminder: “just hating me, reminding me not to do it again.”

And then Saturday at the 2024 U.S. Olympic Trials, Jackson found herself in an all-too-familiar position after three throws: third place with two fouls, too close to the border of not making the team for her liking. As she stepped into the Hayward Field ring for her fourth throw, she thought of that black medal.

INTERVIEWS | PHOTOS

She thought, “2021 Trials is not happening again. Just go for it.”

The result: a throw of 65-11.50 (20.10m) that stood up to win the competition. Jackson made her first Olympic team, which she said was a relief; because she’s a two-time world champion, people have assumed she was an Olympian, too.

“I’m like, pull the dagger out of my heart,” Jackson said. “Now, I don’t have to feel that way anymore.”

She’ll be joined in Paris by Raven Saunders, the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist who in May finished an 18-month suspension for missing three drug tests, and Jaida Ross, who earlier this month won the NCAA championship for Oregon and who became the first track and field Olympian from Medford, Oregon, since Dick Fosbury.

“I have little vocabulary right now for this,” Ross said. “It just feels amazing. I’ve never felt this before – the amount of emotion I have and just wrapping my head around the word Olympian.”

Saunders finished second with a throw of 65-3.50 (19.90m), and Ross finished third at 64-3.75 (19.60).

It’s an intriguing group heading for Paris:

Two veterans in their late 20s; one newcomer, age 22. One Olympic medalist, two first-time Olympians.

Two ebullient competitors who put on a show – Jackson’s introduction included an homage to Rock Lee dropping the weights from the anime series Naruto, and Saunders wore a Black Widow mask and prominent gold jewelry to signify the quest for a gold medal. One competitor who prides herself on being low-key and consistent and whose most showy moment was patting her heart to acknowledge the crowd’s cheers.

“Especially with the result today, we could be looking at a sweep (in Paris),” Jackson said.

Saunders took the first-round lead with a throw of 65-2.75 (19.88m), and Ross threw the best first round of her career with a 63-7.50 (19.39). Buoyed by her opener, she threw 64-3.75 (19.60) on her second throw.

“I really, really, really wanted that 20 (meter) line,” she said. “That’s what I was hoping for every throw. Every time I came short, I wanted to come back stronger.”

Then came Jackson’s fourth and winning throw. Saunders’ final throw was their farthest, but it wasn’t enough to move into first place.

“Words can’t even describe the feeling of me being here in this moment, me being able to compete out there and being to compete with everything I’ve been through,” Saunders said. “It’s a blessing that I’m here.”

Saunders won a silver medal in Tokyo, a high point for anyone, but especially someone who had endured depression and anxiety, including a period in 2018 when they considered suicide. With their “Hulk” nickname, their Hulk mask and their ebullience in the competition, Saunders captured the imagination of many fans. They pledged to advocate for mental health and LGBTQ issues, as well.

But success was followed by sadness. Saunders’ mother died shortly after Saunders competed. And in fall 2021, they needed hip surgery, their second major surgery.

And then in March 2023, Saunders was suspended for 18 months for missing three drug tests.

Saunders' suspension ended and they returned to competition in May, first at the Oklahoma Throws Series, then throwing 19.11m at the New York Grand Prix in early June. That came after dealing with a foot injury since March.

Saunders hasn't had a coach, either, but said their mental health – thanks to “lots and lots of therapy” – is strong.

“I had a lot of moments when I was doubting myself and my ability to come back,” Saunders said. “It was looking back on my career, reminding myself who I am, constantly sitting down and looking in the mirror and reminding myself, ‘You are Raven The Hulk Saunders, you will achieve it.’ There is nothing in this world that can stop you from being great except for yourself. That’s really been my mantra.”

A year ago, Ross was coming off a fifth-place finish at NCAAs and a sixth-place finish at USAs. In the run-up to the Trials, she spoke several times of competing with “elite women,” and on Saturday she was finally able to acknowledge that she deserves that adjective, too.

“Man, I guess I do,” she said. “I can say that now. I feel like I fit in with the professional throwers now. I can hang. I can hold my own out there.”