Despite her historic gold-medal performance at the 2024 Olympics, Team USA weightlifter Olivia Reeves isn’t certain she’ll make a bid for the next summer Games.
What is certain, though, is that Reeves isn’t ready for a break. After winning America’s first weightlifting gold in 24 years during the Paris 2024 Women’s 71KG event, Reeves, 21, has her “sights set” on the class’ existing world records.
Credit: USA Weightlifting
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Olivia Reeves on the 2028 Olympics
Speaking with BarBend on Aug. 18, 2024, Reeves indicated that she doesn’t want to make any firm commitments to another Olympic qualification cycle right off the bat.
“I’m open to it, but it’s difficult to know where I’ll be in four years,” Reeves said. “I’d like to think ‘yes,’ but I’ll take it one competition at a time, just like I did for this quad.”
Reeves blasted her way, one meet at a time, to the world’s number-two slot in the Women’s 71-kilogram category by the end of the Paris qualification cycle. She sat behind Team China’s world record holder, Liao Guifang, who was not selected for their Olympic team.
At the time, it was speculated that Reeves’ rapid increases in strength may have deterred China from dedicating one of their six athlete slots to Liao, who holds the world record in the weightlifting Total at 273 kilograms. This is something Reeves wants to change.
Olivia Reeves Has Her “Sights Set” on World Records
Reeves may not be locked in for LA2028 just yet, but she’s got other goals to pursue in the interim.
“I will continue to train and compete. I have my sights set on the 71-kilogram world records,” Reeves continued.
Nearly all women’s weightlifting world records are held by Asian athletes. The 71-kilo category is one of two women’s divisions wherein all three records belong to athletes from different countries (as of Aug. 2024). But if Reeves gets her way, all three could go to the U.S.:
Snatch: 121 kilograms | Angie Palacios-Dajomes (ECU)
Clean & Jerk: 154 kilograms | Song Kuk-Hyang (PRK)
Total: 273 kilograms | Liao Guifang (CHN)
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She’s not far off. In addition to holding all three Junior 71-kilogram records, Reeves hit her best-ever results in June 2024 during USA Weightlifting’s Senior National Championships.
Snatch: 120 kilograms
Clean & Jerk: 151 kilograms
Total: 271 kilograms
To set new world records, Reeves must exceed the existing record by at least one kilogram during an International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) event.
Turning the Page
If Reeves were to claim a Senior world record in weightlifting, she would be the first American to ink the United States into the books in over three decades. In 1991, 52-kilogram Robin Goad snatched 81 for, at the time, a world record.
The 52-kilogram category no longer exists. Weightlifting’s divisions have shuffled several times throughout its modern history, and no American athlete has ever managed to secure the final record in any division before the classes were shuffled again.
With all the momentum (and strength) in the world, Reeves is looking like Team USA’s best chance at changing that.
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Featured Image: USA Weightlifting
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