Olympics-Weightlifting-American Reeves takes new women's 71kg gold

By Angelica Medina

PARIS (Reuters) -American Olivia Reeves put in a dominant performance to win the new 71kg weightlifting title at the Paris Games on Friday with a total lift of 262kg, handing the United States only their second women's Olympic title in the sport.

The 21-year-old, who set out to win gold after compatriot Tara Nott's triumph in the flyweight class at the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, just about managed a lift of 117kg with her first attempt in the snatch to take the lead.

Reeves met a stiff challenge from Ecuador's Angie Palacios, a former world champion who set the snatch record in the class at the Havana Grand Prix in 2023. Palacios put pressure on the American in the snatch with a 116kg lift.

Reeves opened the clean and jerk with a lift of 140kg and assured herself of gold when she hoisted an extra five kgs on her second attempt to delight the noisy crowd packed into the Paris Expo arena.

"I wasn't sure what to expect (after winning gold), but I knew I was gonna cry, because after the snatches (attempts) the weight of the competition feels different. I knew there were gonna be tears" said Reeves.

Colombia's Mari Sanchez took silver with a total of 257kg as Palacios narrowly missed out on second place and had to settle for bronze with a total of 256kg.

Sanchez, 32, told reporters that her belief in herself kept her in the sport, especially after her pregnancy, as she hopes to be able to give her son a better future after earning the silver medal.

"It's a question of faith. I feel very proud of the work I've been doing. I was always sure that at any moment I could achieve this result, so much sacrifice has been worth it," Sanchez said.

The 71kg women's class is a new Olympic category for Paris after the International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) reorganised the programme after the Tokyo Games.

World champion Liao Guifang, the total world record holder (273kg), was left out of China's team.

(Reporting by Angelica Medina, editing by Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris)