Speed meets strength

Lifts 6_7_8 (three lifts) “Minnie” the elephant: 7,500 lbs. Sudhahota Carl Lewis: 200 lbs. Apparatus: 440 lbs. Total: 8,140 lbs. Around four o’clock in the afternoon, the doors of a large semi-trailer opened and “Minnie,” a huge 28-year-old Asian elephant, gracefully disembarked onto a busy street in Jamaica, Queens. She meandered into Aspiration-Ground, paused briefly to munch on carrots and allow herself to be gaily caparisoned, and then was led to the lifting platform.

Sudhahota Carl Lewis, world famous sprinter and long jumper, now adopted the role of a climber as he ascended to his seat just behind Minnie’s head. In traditional Indian fashion, Sri Chinmoy offered Minnie a 15-foot garland. He then waited while the elephant’s trainer adjusted her position so that all four feet were firmly planted on the lifting platform.

Sri Chinmoy lifted this shifting and unstable load once. Then, because the platform had risen unevenly, he proceeded to lift it a second and a third time, with the elephant changing position for each lift until a more equal balance could be established and Sri Chinmoy was fully satisfied with the height of the lift.