Olympic gold medalist weightlifter Olivia Reeves was feted like a queen late Tuesday afternoon with a short parade down Vine Street and a celebration at UTC’s Chamberlain Field.
Dozens turned out to cheer her on during both events, with speeches from mayors and proclamations claiming Aug. 9 – the day she won the gold medal – as Olivia Reeves Day in Chattanooga and Hamilton County.
And Chattanooga Mayor Tim Kelly presented her with a key to the city, saying she was the first person to receive one since well-known singer and Chattanooga native Usher also was presented one during a visit to the UTC’s McKenzie Arena this past April.
As Mayor Kelly added in one of several talks by officials that tried to capture the spirit she has passed along to the city with her achievement, “To say we are proud is an understatement.
It changes the conversation of what it means to be a Chattanoogan.”
Hamilton County Mayor Weston Wamp added equally generous praise when also emphasizing that her accomplishments have been community changing.
“For generations when moms and dads have a conversation with their children about what they can be, that conversation is going to go differently by what you did in Paris.”
While the comments during the ceremony below the old arched entrances of Chamberlain Field – where such other athletic greats as Heisman Trophy winners had previously played – focused on how Ms. Reeves had inspired the Chattanooga community, she simply offered a few thanks.
That included such organizations she supports as Northside Neighborhood House and the Pet Placement Center; her coach, Steve Fauer; her parents Jason and Amber Reeves; and her younger sisters, Haley and Caroline Reeves, to whom she said she tries to be a role model.
She added that her coach brings a nice creativity and atmosphere in her training, while adding that her parents passed along a work ethic to her and her sisters. “We knew that whatever we did, they would stand behind us fully,” she said.
Ms. Reeves also thanked her friends from her gym and others who showed her there is a life outside the gym. And she ended her brief comments thanking everyone who wanted to be there.
“A part of this medal, even though it was given to me, really does belong to everyone here,” she said.
After she was finished, chants of “USA, USA!” filled the field, where hundreds stood in a large semicircle behind the UTC marching band.
Ms. Reeves, who is believed to be the first Chattanoogan to win an individual Olympic gold medal, had been written up and interviewed for several years as a young weightlifter with special talents.
But many casual sports observers in Chattanooga were taken aback when the gold medal news broke that Friday afternoon.
The happy news resulted in the Tuesday event, in which she received a big cheer as she traveled along in a red Mercedes-Benz along Vine Street from a parking lot just west of Houston Street. Usually in the past in Chattanooga, parades have been held for military heroes like the late Medal of Honor recipient Capt. Larry Taylor in 2023.
She was wearing a Team USA shirt and belt, a UTC safari hat, and her gold medal, which was shiny up close.
Also taking part in the parade – which included people cheering from UTC buildings along the route as well as on the sidewalks – were the Chattanooga Police motorcycle squad, some St. Jude students and the Notre Dame High Band as well as the one from UTC. All three schools are her alma mater.
Beating a silver medalist from Colombia and a bronze medalist from Ecuador, Ms. Reeves won in the 71-kilogram category, which is roughly the 156-pound division. She had won by having the highest combined score in the snatch and clean and jerk categories.
In the snatch, which involves lifting the barbell from the ground to above one’s head in one continuous motion, she set an Olympic record of 117 kg, which is 258 pounds. In the clean and jerk, in which one brings the barbell to the shoulder area for a brief halt and then above one’s head, she had a lift of 145 kg, or 320 pounds.
Among the other speeches after she had gotten out from the parade route and walked up to the front and after the UTC and Notre Dame bands played on the field, UTC Chancellor Steve Angle pointed out that UTC’s colors are blue and gold, as in Olympic gold.
He told the audience she was a senior sociology major, but he, too, hinted she had been a positive social conscience on the UTC community.
“We are all here to celebrate her incredible accomplishments,” he said, also recalling how excited it was for the UTC community and others to watch her compete and win on TV. “She embodies the Moc excellence of working hard and doing your best.”
St. Jude principal Josh Overton said he was her science teacher when she was a student, and he recalls her as a kind girl who wore glasses and a ponytail and was always willing to help others.
“Your triumph is our triumph, and we could not be prouder,” he said.
First-year Notre Dame school head Dr. Eric Schexnaildre said NBC had contacted the school to see if they could show the students watching the competition on the second day of school, and they were able to make that happen. As a result, the students enjoyed quite a moment, he said.
“To see the kids who know nothing about the Olympics or power lifting get excited, it was such an incredible moment,” he said.
Her coach, Mr. Fauer, told the audience that they had trained in several different locations in recent years, and he was thankful to the generosity of gym officials who gave them the space to train. He also saluted Ms. Reeves, saying she was talented, smart, coachable, and dedicated.
“I firmly believe a coach is only as good as the athlete. She made me,” he said.
Chattanooga City Councilman Ken Smith also read a proclamation praising Ms. Reeves.
After the talk, Ms. Reeves signed autographs and posed for photographs for several minutes with several dozen young people and adults who lined up to greet her.
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To hear an audio clip of Olivia Reeves’ speech at the UTC gathering, listen
here.