Raven Saunders got to make her mom proud one last time.
On Aug. 1, the 25-year-old athlete represented Team USA on the Olympic podium when she accepted the silver medal in the women’s shot put competition at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
Just two days later, Raven revealed that her mother, Clarissa Saunders, had died. “My mama was a great woman and will forever live through me,” she tweeted, calling her “My number one guardian angel.”
“I will always and forever love you,” Raven said, telling fans she would be hopping off social media “for a while to take care of my mental and my family.”
Live5News interviewed Clarissa at an Olympics watch party in Florida on Aug. 1, right before she saw her daughter earn her first Olympic medal.
“It’s crazy,” she said of Raven making it to Tokyo. “Not being there is a little bummer but, hey, we’re cheering from here,” Clarissa went on. “So she’ll do good, I’m pretty sure she’ll do good.”