Showing Off For Cahit

This morning it was only a matter of seconds for me to lift the elephant, but how long the preparation took! I needed a half hour to warm up at home and then another half hour at the court. So it took one hour of preparation for a 10-second lift.

Before the lift, Cahit, our champion-runner-friend, was worrying about whether I had a weightlifting belt. So I showed him that I was wearing it. Then I showed off for him. I did 1,000 pounds on my calf raise machine ten times easily. Then I did 1,200 pounds 12 times. He was so amazed; he didn’t dare to try.

— 19 October 1986