Mijaín López
Cuban Greco-Roman wrestler (born 1982)
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mijaín López Núñez[a] (born 20 August 1982) is a Cuban retired Greco-Roman wrestler. Widely considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, López is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time World Champion, for a total of 10 world gold medals (second highest, behind Aleksandr Karelin's twelve), and a five-time Pan American Games champion. He is the younger brother of Michel López Núñez, a Cuban amateur boxer.[3] López was Cuba's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, and one of the country's flag bearers at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics.[4]
.jpg) López at the 2024 Summer Olympics | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Full name | Mijaín López Núñez |
Nickname(s) | The Kid, El Terrible, The Giant of Herradura |
| Born | 20 August 1982 Entronque de Herradura, Cuba |
| Height | 1.96 m (6 ft 5 in) |
| Weight | 131.5 kg (290 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Cuba |
| Sport | Wrestling |
Event | Greco-Roman |
| Club | Cerro Pelado |
| Coached by | Pedro Val |
Medal record | |
Upon winning the gold medal in the Greco-Roman 130 kg event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, López became the first and only athlete in modern Olympics history to win five consecutive gold medals in the same individual event.[5]
Career
López has represented Cuba at the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics in Athens, Beijing, and London, and was his country's flag bearer during the opening ceremonies in 2008 and 2012.[6] In 2004, he placed fifth, whereas in 2008 and 2012, he won the gold medal in the men's Greco-Roman 120 kg category.[7] At the 2016 Rio Games, López won Gold in the 130 kg category.[8] He again won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games without losing a single point in the tournament, becoming the first male wrestler to win four Olympic gold medals, as well as only the fifth athlete to win four gold medals in the same individual event.[9] During the opening ceremony of the same Olympics, he also became the first Cuban representative to become the country’s flag bearer four times, breaking the tie between Teófilo Stevenson and himself.[10]
In 2016, López won his tenth gold medal at the national wrestling championships of Cuba.[11]
At the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, López won his fifth gold medal, becoming the first Olympic athlete in any sport to win five gold medals in the same individual event. He subsequently left his wrestling shoes in the center of the mat after his victory, signifying his retirement from the sport.[12]
International competition record
World Championships
- In the 2005 World Championships he won the gold medal in the 120 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 52-0 up to the final, before winning the final 7-1 vs Mihaly deak-bardos (HUN), in Budapest (Hungary).
- In the 2006 World Wrestling Championships he won the silver medal in the 120 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 40-0 up to the final, before losing the final 0-12 vs Khasan Baroev (RUS), in Guangzhou (China).
- In the 2007 World Wrestling Championships he won the gold medal in the 120 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 49-9 up to the final, before winning the final 2-2 vs Khasan Baroev (RUS), in Baku (Azerbaijan).
- In the 2009 World Wrestling Championships he won the gold medal in the 120 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 25-0 up to the final, before winning the final 6-1 vs Dremiel Byers (USA), in Herning (Denmark).
- In the 2010 World Wrestling Championships he won the gold medal in the 120 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 21-0 up to the final, before winning the final 4-0 vs Yury Patrikeyev (ARM), in Moscow (Russia).
- In the 2011 World Wrestling Championships he won the silver medal in the 120 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 16-0 up to the final, before losing the final 0-4 vs Rıza Kayaalp (TUR), in Istanbul (Turkey).
- In the 2014 World Wrestling Championships he won the gold medal in the 130 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 25-2 up to the final, before winning the final 2-0 vs Rıza Kayaalp (TUR), in Tashkent (Uzbekistan).
- In the 2015 World Wrestling Championships he won the silver medal in the 130 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 15-1 up to the final, before losing the final 0-4 vs Rıza Kayaalp (TUR), in Las Vegas (United States).
Olympic Games
- In the 2004 Olympics he placed fifth in the 120 kg weight class in Athens.[13]
- In the 2008 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 24-3 in the 120 kg weight class in Beijing.
- In the 2012 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 14-0 in the 120 kg weight class in London.
- In the 2016 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 16-0 in the 130 kg weight class in Rio de Janeiro.
- In the 2020 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 24-0 in the 130 kg weight class in Tokyo.
- In the 2024 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 20-2 in the 130 kg weight class in Paris.[14]
See also
Notes
- In this Spanish name, the first or paternal surname is López and the second or maternal family name is Núñez.
