Cuban Mijaín López enters eternity with his fifth consecutive gold medal at the Olympic Games

The Cuban fighter Mijain Lopez culminated this Tuesday a feat never seen before in the Olympic Gameswinning five gold medals in the same individual discipline, and thrilled the Paris crowd by leaving his shoes on the mat to bid farewell to a legendary career.

The colossus of the Greco-Roman fight He completed his feat in the final of the 130-kilo category, where he defeated the Cuban-born Chilean Yasmani Acosta by a resounding 6-0. To the applause of the 7,000 spectators at the Campo de Marte stadium.

Lopez lifted his two coaches on his shoulders And, in an image that will remain in the memory of these Games, he knelt down to take off his dark shoes, kiss them and place them in the centre of the mat, the ritual of retirement for wrestlers. The president of the Olympic Committee, Thomas Bach, was present in this venue in front of the Eiffel Tower to recognise the iconic wrestler. “The mission is accomplished,” he said.

Mijaín with a huge smile. “I decided that moment at these very Games,” he said about his final gesture.

“I’ve already given the maximum of my sporting career. The training sessions and the fights with younger opponents told me that it was time to say goodbye, and what better opportunity than by winning my fifth Olympic gold.” Encouraged during the fight by shouts of “Lopez, Lopez,” the Cuban used his incomparable experience, power and agility to easily overcome Acosta, who gave Chile its second medal at these Games.

This fighter left Cuba in 2015 precisely because of the lack of opportunities Acosta was also very pleased with Mijaín’s glorious Olympic career, but he still maintained the relationship and continued to give him advice even during the tournament in Paris. “I have a mixture of many feelings,” Acosta admitted after the defeat. “You always want to win gold, but at the same time I am happy because Mijaín López, the legend of world wrestling, retired with me.”

Undefeated since Beijing-2008

The gladiator from the small town of Herradura (west) ended as she wished an Olympic journey in which she found no rival since her only defeat in her debut in Athens in 2004. She then swept the titles in Beijing in 2008, London in 2012, Rio de Janeiro in 2016 and Tokyo in 2020.

That four gold medals placed him in an exclusive club alongside swimmers Michael Phelps (200m medley) and Katie Ledecky (800m freestyle), athletes Carl Lewis (long jump) and Alfred Oerter (discus throw), all of them Americans, the Dane Paul Elvstrom (sailing) and the Japanese Kaori Icho (wrestling).

This Monday, Mijaín established his own place in the Olympus of the Games in Paris and said goodbye with an astonishing record of 22 wins and one loss..

Victory announced

The triumph of the 130-kilo gold medal fighter, who In two weeks he will turn 42, he was celebrated with shouts and applause in Herradurathe small town surrounded by mountains, humble houses and dusty streets where he toughened his prodigious physique working in the fields.

Mijaín had promised his compatriots this fifth championship which his own rivals considered almost inevitable. His prodigious conditions and talent allowed him to overwhelm his four opponents in Paris, including world champion Amin Mirzazadeh, despite the fact that he had not competed since Tokyo 2020 to protect a physique that, according to his trainer Raúl Trujillo, has suffered four herniated discs.

Symbol of Cuba

Mijaín’s successes also represent a balm of hope for Cuban sport, which until now had not won any gold in Paris.

The results of this former Olympic power are in decline, impacted by the economic situation of the island and the departure of many of its stars. Unlike Olympic champions such as boxers Andy Cruz or Guillermo Rigondeaux, López remained on the island that venerates him and always defended the sporting legacy of the Cuban Revolution.

If in 2021 he dedicated his fourth gold in Tokyo to the late Fidel Castro, On Tuesday he was congratulated by telephone by the current Cuban president, Miguel Díaz-Canel.

“Sincerity and humility are very important in life to achieve results like the ones I achieved,” he stressed.

Mijaín, who now hopes to continue to be involved in sport, said: “Training wrestlers and working with young people is what I would like to do.” “I want to always work in sport.”

AFP

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