The weightlifter, also a St. Jude School alum, is welcomed back to Chattanooga with a parade
By Dan McWilliams
Olivia Reeves, an alumna of Notre Dame High School and St. Jude School in Chattanooga, made history when she won the gold medal in the women’s 71-kilogram (157-pound) weightlifting category Aug. 9 at the Summer Olympics in Paris.
Miss Reeves’ gold was the first for the United States in weightlifting since 2000. She is the first Olympian to come from either of the Chattanooga schools.
Olivia Reeves shows her gold medal as she stands with Notre Dame High School cheerleaders at the parade held in her honor in Chattanooga.
Students, teachers, and staff of both of her former schools held watch parties as NBC broadcast Miss Reeves’ run to the gold. NBC had a live feed of the Notre Dame watch party.
Miss Reeves, 21, set an Olympic record with a lift of 117 kilograms (258 pounds) in her third attempt in the snatch, after lifting 112 and 115 kilograms in her first two tries. She then lifted 145 kilograms (320 pounds) in the clean and jerk for a combined total of 262 kilograms (578 pounds) in both events to clinch the gold medal. Miss Reeves successfully lifted 140 kilograms in the clean and jerk before lifting 145, with her only failed attempt coming at 150.
Mari Sánchez of Colombia (112-145—257) won the silver medal while Angie Palacios of Ecuador (116-140—256) took the bronze.
Miss Reeves, a student at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, was welcomed back to her hometown on Sept. 3 with a parade through the UTC campus and a pep rally at Chamberland Field, at which she received the key to the city. St. Jude and NDHS students participated in both events.
“In her time at Notre Dame High School, Olivia was quiet, unassuming, and had we not recognized her at a school assembly, no one would have ever known she was as accomplished as she already was,” said Diocese of Knoxville schools superintendent George Valadie, former Notre Dame president. “But more importantly, we have four granddaughters in our family, and if any of the four grow up to be half the human being she is, our family will be most blessed.”
Deacon Hicks Armor, a 1970 graduate of Notre Dame, is a former head of school at his alma mater.
“We’ve always thought and believed that Notre Dame is a world-class institution, and Olivia has made that come true,” he said. “For a graduate of Notre Dame, qualifying for the Olympics is a huge piece. Competing in the Olympics is a phenomenal experience, but winning a gold medal has to be just an unbelievable honor and privilege.
“For Notre Dame to have an individual come through that school—she’s built character, she’s competed with class, and I couldn’t be prouder of her. It’s a huge honor for Notre Dame as a school that one of their own qualified, competed, and won a gold medal, so I think it’s just an unbelievable day for Notre Dame.”
St. Jude School students take part in the parade for Olivia Reeves.
Miss Reeves won a gold medal at the 2021 Junior World Weightlifting Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and took gold at the 2021 Junior Pan American Games held in Cali and Valle, Colombia. She won a silver medal in the snatch event at the Tashkent competition.
In 2022, Miss Reeves won the bronze medal in clean and jerk at the World Weightlifting Championships in Bogotá, Colombia. She won the bronze the same year at the Pan American Weightlifting Championships in Bariloche, Argentina.
In October 2023, Miss Reeves won the gold medal at the Pan American Games held in Santiago, Chile. She set new junior American records in the snatch, clean and jerk, and total. Her best lifts were 114 kilograms in the snatch and 144 in the clean and jerk for a total of 258 kilograms.
Also in 2023, Miss Reeves won a bronze medal at the World Weightlifting Championships held in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
At the 2024 International Weightlifting Federation World Cup in Phuket, Thailand, she won the gold medal in the snatch (118 kilograms), clean and jerk (150 kilograms), and total (268 kilograms) in the women’s 71-kilogram event.
