In a historic showdown at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Cuba’s Mijain Lopez Nunez secured his fifth gold medal in the 130kg Greco-Roman wrestling final with a decisive 6-0 victory on August 6. This remarkable achievement makes Lopez the first athlete ever to win five gold medals in the same Olympic event.
The 41-year-old wrestling icon, who has dominated the sport for nearly two decades, marked what might be the end of his legendary career by kissing the mat and leaving his shoes behind after the match. This symbolic gesture, as reported by Olympics.com, suggests a potential retirement.
Reflecting on the emotional moment, Mijain Lopez said, “I felt a little sad. It is as if you have left a part of your life there. From a very early age, I was doing this sport—a sport that has made me known worldwide. I left a dream on the mat, but a dream that will inspire all young people.”
He continued, “The legacy that I want to leave to all the young people who follow me is to always fight for what they want to achieve. There are no goals, there is no age, there are no purposes in life that cannot be achieved.”
Standing at 6-foot-5, Lopez experienced a whirlwind of emotions as he celebrated his victory, lifting his coaches and holding back tears. His triumph in Paris is particularly notable given that he had not competed in any tournament since winning gold at Tokyo 2020.
In a familiar face-off for the silver medal, Chile’s Cuban-born Yasmani Acosta, who trained with Lopez for nine years, expressed mixed feelings. “I feel a mix of emotions. I wanted to win gold, but at the same time, not so much because it’s Mijain, a legend in wrestling worldwide. He’s a rival, but also a friend. We have known each other for a long time now. We did the trials together for this year’s Olympic Games. He has been giving me advice in every phase, so he’s everything—a rival, a friend, he’s a brother,” Acosta said post-match.
The bronze medals were claimed by People’s Republic of China’s Meng Lingzhe and Islamic Republic of Iran’s Amin Mirzazadeh, who defeated Egypt’s Abdellatif Mohamed and Azerbaijan’s Sabah Shariati, respectively.
