Some very lucky Olympians get to hold a gold medal after a day of competition. Then there’s U.S. Olympic wrestler Elena Pirozhkova. She got to hold first lady Michelle Obama in her hands.
The first lady was meeting with U.S. athletes at the U.S. Olympic Training Facility at the University of East London on Friday when this truly cool Olympic moment happened.
USA Today gives us a little more detail:
“Even before she made the rounds I thought I can’t just hug her like everybody else,” Pirozhkova, who stands 5-foot-5 and competes in the 138.75-pound class, said in a statement released by USA Wrestling. “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.”
Nick Ramsey
Nick Ramsey is a senior producer with MSNBC’s “The Last Word with Lawrence O’Donnell.” Recommended
