Phuket, Day 8: USA’s Olivia Reeves turns tables on China and PRK with sensational World Cup victory
Olivia Reeves from the United States achieved the best result of her career when she defeated all three world record holders in the women’s 71kg at the IWF World Cup in Phuket, Thailand.
At the final qualifier for Paris 2024, Reeves made all six lifts for career bests across the board on 118-150-268. That put her on top of the podium ahead of the best lifters from China and DPR Korea.
The Stars and Stripes sat above the flags of China and PRK at the medal ceremony. When Mike Gattone, USA Weightlifting’s head of performance and coaching, was asked when that had last happened he said it was a question of if, not when. “I can’t recall it ever happening,” he said.
Olivia Reeves (USA)
Between them, China and PRK hold all but two of the current women’s world records.
While 20-year-old Reeves improved her best Olympic ranking total by 6kg in second place, the athletes standing first, third and fourth were collectively 46kg down on their best. Reeves has put 23kg on her total since qualifying began 16 months ago and is a genuine gold medal contender for Paris.
The rankings leader Liao Guifang from China holds the world record on total, Song Kuk Hyang from DPR Korea set the clean and jerk mark at the Asian Championships two months ago, and snatch specialist Angie Palacios from Ecuador remains the only non-Asian holder of a current women’s world record.
Liao Guifang (CHN)
Liao was second on 115-149-264, Song third on 115-146-261 and Palacios sixth on 113-132-245. All three of them made only two good lifts. The only other athlete in the top 10 to improve her total was the Tokyo 64kg bronze medallist Chen Wen-Huei from Chinese Taipei, fourth here on 105-141-246.
Reeves, youngest of 11 athletes in the A Group, had said before the competition, “My goal is to get as close as I can to China, see what I can push there.”
After finishing 4kg ahead of Liao she said, “It certainly went to plan. I couldn’t have asked for better, especially after a short turnaround from Bulgaria (the last qualifier in February). It’s as good as it gets.
“I can’t quite believe I got 150 – I’m going to have to watch that again.”
Reeves had finished behind Liao and Song at the Qatar Grand Prix in December. Asked how she had turned third place into first, she said: “I lifted more weight, that’s all there is to it. Nothing else changed, I just have confidence in my lifts.”
Besides Liao, Reeves, Palacios and Chen, the others ranked in the top 10 are Loredana Toma from Romania, Vanessa Sarno from the Philippines, Neama Said from Egypt, who weighed in without lifting here, Mari Leivis Sanchez from Colombia, the Individual Neutral Athlete Siuzanna Valodzka from Belarus, and Marie Fegue from France, who lifts at 76kg on Monday.
Sarno and Valodzka both opted to lift in the B Group. There was heartbreak in the final half-hour of that tense session. Four lifters had two tries each to earn a place in Paris, including one who started the day in 20th place. All eight attempts were no-lifts.
Yeniuska Mirabal from Cuba had made her first four when she failed twice at 133kg. She would have moved up 10 places to tenth if she had done it.
Mun Minhee from Korea missed twice at 134kg, again after four good lifts, and Pham Thi Hong Thanh from Vietnam failed both times at 135kg.
Eyglo Sturludottir (ISL)
Eyglo Sturludottir from Iceland was “really happy and positive” despite missing attempts at 134kg that would have earned qualification. Sturlodottir, a 22-year-old medical student whose big aims are to become a doctor and lift at the Olympic Games, competed in all seven qualifiers. She improved from 94-119-213 in the first to 106-130-236 in the last.
“I’ll keep training, keep competing and hopefully in the next qualification for Los Angeles I will be more secure in the rankings,” she said.
“I’ll graduate in 2027, then I’ll have a year of no school, just train for the 2028 Games. I’m not done. I’ll be a doctor at the next Olympics. See you there.”
There is still a chance that Sturludottir will be in Paris. Iceland has applied for a universality place on her behalf. The International Olympic Committee Tripartite Commission will assess the 32 applications and send invitations to six athletes – three men and three women – in mid-June.
Joy Eze from Nigeria was another athlete who failed with a final attempt that would have put her in the top 10. It happened in the previous day’s C Group, where Eze totalled 239kg and moved up to 11th place. That might be enough to qualify depending on the reallocation of France’s host nation places.
Amanda Schott from Brazil is 12th and, despite being unable to lift here because of injury, is not without hope. If China opts not to compete in this category in Paris – it can select a maximum three women from the five who have qualified – Schott could move up.
The men’s 96kg podium
Won Jongbeom won the non-Olympic men’s 96kg by a wide margin. He declined his final attempt after making 170-219-389 to finish clear of Karim Abokahla from Egypt – who declined his last two – on 165-205-370. Braydon Kennedy from Canada was third on 165-193-358.
By Brian Oliver
Photos by Giorgio Scala/Deepbluemedia