{"id":59529,"date":"2024-05-25T07:27:01","date_gmt":"2024-05-25T11:27:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/?p=59529"},"modified":"2025-03-11T15:25:14","modified_gmt":"2025-03-11T19:25:14","slug":"olivia-the-olympian-utc-student-selected-to-u-s-olympic-team","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogarchive.utc.edu\/news\/2024\/05\/olivia-the-olympian-utc-student-selected-to-u-s-olympic-team\/","title":{"rendered":"Olivia the Olympian: UTC student selected to U.S. Olympic team\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Olivia

Olivia Reeves celebrates after completing a 150kg clean and jerk lift at the 2024 IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand. Photo by USA Weightlifting.<\/p><\/div>\n

When Olivia Reeves began weightlifting at 12 years old, she didn\u2019t know just how far the sport would take her.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThe goal is always just the next competition,\u201d Reeves said. \u201cDo better at the next one, do better than I did at the last one kind of deal.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She continued up the competition ladder, literally adding on more weight. Now, at 21 years old, she has reached the pinnacle of her sport: Olympic status.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

On Friday, May 24, Reeves\u2014a senior sociology major at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga\u2014was announced as a member<\/a><\/strong> of the United States Olympic weightlifting team. The native of Hixson, Tennessee, will be representing the U.S. at the 2024 Paris Olympics.<\/span><\/p>\n

Given her Olympian status, it\u2019s not surprising that Reeves has achieved some remarkable feats. According to a <\/span>BarBend article<\/a><\/strong>, \u201cReeves is the second-strongest woman in the world in her weight class.\u201d<\/span> A USA Weightlifting article<\/a><\/strong> called her, “one of this generation’s greatest weightlifters.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Currently, Reeves\u2019 best snatch is 118 kg (260 pounds) and her best clean and jerk is 150 kg (331 pounds), personal records she set at her last qualifier competition in Thailand in April\u2014where she won gold over China and North Korea.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Photo

Photo courtesy of U.S. Olympic Committee<\/p><\/div>\n

It was in Thailand that Reeves also beat all three world record holders<\/b><\/a> in the women\u2019s 71 kg weight class. Although all she had to do to qualify was weigh in, she decided to compete anyway.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to travel all the way to Thailand and not compete,\u201d she said. \u201cBeing the last qualifier versus North Korea and China, I think it was good for me to compete to set the pace for the Olympics momentum of what I want to happen in Paris\u2014just to see how heavy I can go.\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Reeves has competed and medaled in weightlifting competitions around the world. Last December, she <\/span>broke seven world records<\/span><\/b><\/a> in a competition in Qatar.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

She is looking to become the first UTC currently-enrolled student to participate in the Olympic Games\u2014and is believed to be the first student in the University\u2019s 138-year history to be selected for an Olympic team\u2014something she said feels \u201cmonumental.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Several athletes with UTC ties have gone to the Olympics.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n