Olivia Reeves Clinches First U.S. Weightlifting Olympic Gold in 24 Years
PARIS — The long dry spell has ended.
U.S. weightlifter Olivia Reeves earned a gold medal during her Olympic debut, marking the first gold for the U.S. team since before she was born.
At just 21 years old and a student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, Reeves was a frontrunner for the gold medal due to her impressive track record in international competitions. The last time the U.S. secured a gold medal in weightlifting was in 2000 at the Sydney Games, the year women’s weightlifting was introduced to the Olympic agenda.
Cara Heads-Slaughter, who competed on the U.S. women’s weightlifting team in 2000, stated that Reeves is “on track to be the best U.S. weightlifter in women’s history.”
In weightlifting competitions, athletes are allowed three attempts for each lift. Their total score is calculated from their heaviest snatch and clean and jerk lifts. Reeves achieved a total of 262 kilograms, approximately 577 pounds.
She also set an Olympic record with her 117 kilogram snatch, around 258 pounds. Despite already securing gold, Reeves attempted a 150 kilogram clean and jerk in hopes of setting an additional Olympic record but was unable to complete the lift.
Colombia’s Mari Leivis Sanchez captured the silver medal, while bronze went to Ecuador’s Angie Paola Palacios.