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Olympic wrestler lifts Michelle Obama

Michelle Obama has a reputation for getting involved at her appearances: dancing with kids, doing push-ups and jump roping. But an encounter at the Olympics literally swept her off her feet.
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First Lady Michelle Obama is picked up by U.S. Olympic wrestler Elena Pirozhkova during a greet with Team USA Olympic athletes competing in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, at the U.S. Olympic Training Facility at the University of East London in London, England, July 27, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)
First Lady Michelle Obama is picked up by U.S. Olympic wrestler Elena Pirozhkova during a greet with Team USA Olympic athletes competing in the 2012 Summer Olympic Games, at the U.S. Olympic Training Facility at the University of East London in London, England, July 27, 2012. (Official White House Photo by Sonya N. Hebert)
Published: July 30, 2012 at 2:47 PM
By GABRIELLE LEVY, UPI.com

First Lady Michelle Obama has been making the rounds at the Olympics.

She's been spotted at a breakfast with Team USA athletes in the Olympic village, checking out the spectacle of Friday's opening ceremonies, cheering on the women's relay swimmers at the Aquatics center, attending a reception hosted by the Queen at Buckingham Palace and giving hugs to a lineup of the men's basketball team.

But her visit to Team USA's training center might just take the cake.

She was greeted Friday by wrestler Elena Pirozhkova, who, instead of shaking the first lady's hand, gave Obama a hug and then scooped her up.

"Even before she made the rounds I thought I can't just hug her like everybody else," Pirozhkova 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."

One of Pirozhkova's teammates snapped a photo of the moment and tweeted it to her followers, while the official White House photographer traveling with Obama grabbed a shot of her own.



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