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This Is an Olympic Wrestler Picking Up Michelle Obama

This Is an Olympic Wrestler Picking Up Michelle Obama

"I wanted to do something different."

Michelle Obama Olympics wrestler lift

First lady Michelle Obama got an unexpected boost during her visit with Team USA on Friday -- literally. Olympic wrestler Elena Pirozhkova picked her up.

The 5-foot-5  wrestler said she wanted to do something different to greet the first lady as she made the rounds through the team's training center in London.

"I thought I can't just hug her like everybody else," Pirozhkova said, according to USA Today.

And that's how she ended up hoisting the president's wife into the air.

"I hugged her, and then I asked her if I could pick her up. I think she was nervous. I went slow. I just picked her up. I wanted to ask her permission. There was security all around. And she gave it. I will only meet her once. I wanted to do something different," Pirozhkova said.

Teammate Clarissa Chun captured the moment on camera, posting the photo on Twitter with the caption: "Elena picked up the First lady."

Michelle Obama Olympics wrestler lift

Here's Pirozhkova afterward, talking about the experience:

Pirozhkova won a silver medal at the world championships in 2010, according to Yahoo! Sports.

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