Mijaín López known as the Cuban giant takes being an Olympian to the next level. From the age of 26 - 41, he has dominated the game consecutively winning 5 gold medals at the Olympic games. Only two weeks before his 42nd birthday he secured his 5th gold medal at the Paris Olympic games.
Lopez was 22 when he entered his first Olympics in 2004 at the Athens games unfortunately young Mijain lost to Russian fighter Khasan Baroyev in the quarter finals. But his story doesn't end there since the unfortunate outcome at the 2004 Olympic games Mijain came back with a dominating force. Competing in the 120kg weight class at the Beijing 2008 Olympic games Lopez won gold against the Russian fighter he lost to previously. Since the 2008 Beijing Olympics 3 more Olympics have taken place and Mijain has won gold every time.
When Mijain entered the 2024 Paris Olympics he was already holding 4 gold medals
- Beijing 2008 games in the 120-kilogram weight class
- London 2012 games in the 120-kilogram weight class
- Rio de Janeiro 2016 games in the 130-kilogram weight class
-Tokyo 2021games in the 130-kilogram weight class
So, winning again at the Paris Olympics at age 41 meant Mijain would be the first Olympic to win 5 consecutive gold medals in an individual Olympic event, men's or women's summer or winter.
And on Tuesday he made history with his fifth gold medal beating Chile's Yasmani Acosta 6–0 in Paris.
After securing the gold Lopez stood proud in the center of the ring took his shoes off, kissed them and placed them in the center of the mat, while the crowd cheered his name symbolizing his retirement. It is safe to say the Cuban fighter retired on a high and is going out on top.
Chile's Yasmani Acosta said being the last person to fight Mijaín López is an honour in the wrestling community and he will forever be grateful.
Mijain is arguably one of the greatest Olympians of all time. Cubans and fans hope his name will go down in history and his legacy will always be remembered.
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