Raven Saunders Faces 30-Month Ban for Anti-Doping Violations

Olympic shot put silver medallist Raven Saunders has accepted a 30-month suspension for multiple whereabouts failures, as announced by the U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) on Tuesday. Saunders, who secured a silver medal in Tokyo in 2021, was previously penalized with an 18-month suspension for similar violations in 2023.

The USADA emphasized that this being Saunders's second rule breach warranted a harsher penalty. According to their statement, the extent of her fault and the broader circumstances led to the decision of a 30-month ineligibility period, effective from December 26, 2024.

The last time Saunders stepped onto the field was at a Diamond League meet in Lausanne in August of the previous year, shortly after she placed 11th out of 12 competitors in the women's shot put event at the Paris Olympics.