MOUNT PLEASANT, S.C. (WCBD) – Lowcountry athlete Raven Saunders finished second during the U.S. track and field Olympic trials, qualifying for her second Olympic Games in shot put.

The trials took place Thursday in Eugene, Oregon.

On her third throw of the finals, the Burke High School grad threw a trials record and personal best of 19.96 meters (65 feet, 6 inches).

  • Raven Saunders competes during the women’s shot put at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Thursday, June 24, 2021, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
  • Raven Saunders celebrates during the finals of the women’s shot put at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Thursday, June 24, 2021, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)
  • Raven Saunders competes during the finals of the women’s shot put at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Thursday, June 24, 2021, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)
  • Raven Saunders competes during the women’s shot put at the U.S. Olympic Track and Field Trials Thursday, June 24, 2021, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Charlie Riedel)

Only minutes later, Jessica Ramsey, a close friend of Saunders’, beat her record with a throw of 20.12 meters (66 feet).

Saunders competed in an Incredible Hulk face mask and danced on the field after making the team.

She also hugged Michelle Carter, the defending Olympic champion in the event, the Associated Press reported. Carter could not compete after having surgery to remove a benign tumor from her ankle earlier this month.