Duffy comes back swinging - Hard Times - Chris Duffy

Flex, Dec, 2002 by Jim Schmaltz

The long-anticipated comeback of CHRIS DUFFY finally came to fruition when the colorful 1992 National heavyweight champ appeared onstage at the Masters Olympia on August17 in Lyncburg, Virginia. Now living in Tampa, Florida, with longtime gal-pal JOAN, the 41-year-old controversial bodybuilder who had a much publicized gay-porn movie career in the mid-'90s managed fifth in the Masters. Yet, it didn't seem to matter to Chris where he placed. He gushed with good gooey vibes as he let loose on a number of topics, reserving most of his enthusiasm for his newfound passion: golf. Since no summary could do justice to the Duffster's verbal skills, we'll let Chris do the talking.

* "It's fun to come back, and it's great to see the guys again. I've been a bodybuilder for 31 years. Anything other than being a bodybuilder is sort of a compromise from being a bodybuilder. I'm going to compete once a year, as a structure to organize my life around."

* "The reason I'm here is because of TIGER WOODS. One night two and a half years ago, I couldn't sleep. Then on TV, I saw Tiger Woods bouncing a ball on his wedge. I said, 'What am I doing sitting here getting ready to get up for a boring day tomorrow? If that guy can do that, I can do anything.' He captivated my dreams."

* "Tiger Woods is my new ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER. I used to walk around with Arnold's book under my arm. It was my canon for five years. Now I follow Tiger Woods."

* "Dreams are body residue, and yet we don't know when we're dreaming and when we're awake. If this is really all some kind of dream, then the harmonization and the perfection of the human body would lead to the best experience."

* "I'm kind of a fringe personality. My past has been maybe hard to understand from any point of view other than my own. It's just what anyone with my central nervous system, presented with my set of options, would do."

* "Believe it or not, I seriously hurt my right knee in the gym [a while] ago, but not bodybuilding. I was doing exercises to enhance my golf game. I couldn't train until six weeks out from the Masters. My legs didn't look as good as they used to because of that."

* "I'll be 42 in December, and my life finally is really together. I'm the happiest I've ever been. I'm starting my bodybuilding career for the second time, and I'm the healthiest I've been in a long time. I'm not going crazy."