Sri Chinmoy with Yiannis Kouros, holding the winner’s trophy for his victory in the Sri Chinmoy 24 Hour Road Race held on a one-mile loop course in Flushing Meadows Park, Queens, New York. Yiannis ran through the battering storms of Hurricane Gloria to record a new world record of 178 miles.
Sri Chinmoy lifts several Olympians, including Roger Kingdom, 1984 and 1988 Olympic gold medallist in 110 metres hurdles, at the Intercontinental Hotel in Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Lifting two Olympic Hurdlers in Seoul
This time there was a new Olympic record set in the 400-metre hurdles by Andre Phillips. On September 25th in Seoul, he came to be lifted by me at our hotel. He was very kind. How happy he was to be the new Olympic record-holder!
Then the winner of the 110-metre hurdles came: Roger Kingdom. He was so happy and honoured to be lifted. He could not believe that he could come and talk to me. I lifted him twice because in the last Olympics also he won the gold medal. He was telling me that he does not want to be satisfied with these achievements. He also wants to win a gold medal in Spain in four years’ time.
I also lifted his mother. She wanted my autograph and she is dying to have pictures. She wants to print them in magazines. His mother became very close to us. And his coach was from Jamaica, Queens, right near Annam Brahma.
Both the hurdlers were so nice — and both of them set new Olympic records. The picture of me lifting one of them has come out in a Korean newspaper.
Published in My Weightlifting Tears and Smiles, part 3