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Olivia Reeves has never had a bad day. It's one of the things she's famous for.
Where her competitors struggle and strain, Olivia is bubbly, bouncing up and down the platform between attempts.
But at the 2025 World Weightlifting Championships in Forde, Norway, Olivia faces some of her steepest competition yet—and her good luck is bound to run out eventually.
We grabbed Olivia for a moment prior to Worlds kicking off. She answered some of our questions, plus a few submitted by our readers in the Weightlifting House newsletter.
Here's our conversation with Team USA's 2024 Olympic Champion Olivia Reeves.
Weightlifting House x Olivia Reeves
Below is our interview with Olivia, conducted over the phone before she began the long journey to Forde for this year's World Weightlifting Championships.
- Remember: At Worlds this year, legends of the past collide with the modern elite. See it all live on WLHOUSE TV from Oct. 2 to 11.
Portions of this interview have been lightly edited for clarity.
On the World Weightlifting Championships
"I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop."
Weightlifting House (WH): You're known for making all your lifts look easy on the platform. What's the hardest part of competing that people don't see?
Olivia Reeves (OR): "Right now, it feels like I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop. Every single competition can't be amazing, but I always feel ready. I'm always confident in my ability to make lifts.
One thing I tell myself in the back room is to make my warm-ups look easy so Steve [Fauer] has no choice but to let me go heavier. It carries onto the platform."
On Celebrity
"Dancing With the Stars isn't knocking on my door."
WH: How often have you been approached for business opportunities since winning the Olympics?
OR: "Not as many as you'd think, but a few. An Olympic medal helps, but make no mistake, Dancing With the Stars isn't knocking on my door.
I do think I could have done a better job capitalizing off my success last year, but now I have an agent who makes things less stressful for me. I try not to turn down opportunities if I can make them work logistically."
On Coach Fauer
"He knows he doesn't know everything."
WH: What is one quality about your coach, Steve Fauer, that sets him apart from other coaches on Team USA?
OR: "Steve's humility and willingness to learn. Sometimes, coaching becomes an ego thing, but not for Steve.
He'll sit in the training hall at competitions and study other countries' training, to try and see what we can borrow and do better for ourselves. He's been in it long enough to know he doesn't know everything."
On Being Elite
"It's nice to know I've found my thing."
WH: How did it feel to find out you're the best in the world at something? Has it changed your mindset for the next quad?
OR: "It feels nice to know I've found something I can excel at. It builds confidence on and off the platform, but I don't think it's changed my mindset.
I've always had the goal of seeing how strong I can get. I've had a lot of time and practice to refine how I approach my competitions."
On Starting Over
"Wouldn't change a thing."
WH: If you could start your weightlifting career over again, what would you do differently?
OR: "Any decision I've made, good or bad, has led me to where I am now. In a way, going for Los Angeles 2028 is a do-over from the Paris quad.
There are things I'd have done differently in that period, but starting at the beginning of my career, I wouldn't change a thing."
On Training Partners
"I have a great group of people."
WH: Which weightlifter, active or otherwise, would you most like to join for a training session?
OR: "I'm not sure! Recently, USA Weightlifting has been hosting training camps more often. They're a great group of people to go heavy with."
Olivia competes on Wednesday, Oct. 8, in the Women's 77A session. Get your ticket and watch her live on WLHOUSE TV.
