A Tennessee woman has managed to win the United States’ first weightlifting gold medal in 24 years. Hixson resident Olivia Reeves scored the feat Saturday at the 2024 Paris Olympics, where she lifted 258 pounds in the snatch and 320 pounds in the clean and jerk, beating Colombia’s Mari Leivis Sanchez by 11 pounds. Ecuador’s Angie Dajomes finished in third place to take the bronze. The last time a U.S. weightlifter brought home a gold medal was in 2000, when Tara Nott won one in Sydney. Why hasn’t the U.S. excelled in this event in recent years?