GOAT of Wrestling? The Cuban wrestler who won gold in Beijing Olympics 2008 and defended it in four straight editions!

Mijain Lopez scripted history at the Paris Olympics 2024 as he became the first-ever Olympian to win five gold medals in the same individual event. The Cuban wrestler has won the gold medal in the men's 130 kg Greco-Roman category in five consecutive editions. The streak started at the Beijing Olympics 2008 and has extended till the Paris Olympics 2024.

In the Paris Olympics 2024 final, Lopez overcame the Chile wrestler Yasmani Acosta at Champ de Mars Arena. It is worth noting that Mijain was out of action after winning the gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics 2020. In fact, he was out of action for nearly three years before returning to action at the Paris Olympics in 2024.

The Cuban made it count straightaway as he beat the reigning world champion from Iran, Amin Mirzazadeh, in his quarterfinal bout. He even dominated his opponent in the final by executing a roll-off followed by a takedown to claim a lead of 6-0. He held on to it for the rest of the bout to win his record-fifth gold medal.

Mijain retires from Wrestling on high

After winning the gold medal, the 41-year-old left his shoes on the mat indicating his retirement from the Sport. The only loss of the star wrestler in the Olympics came at the hands of a Russian wrestler named Khasan Baroyev in the Athens Olympics in 2004. Since then, he has been on an unbeaten streak in Wrestling. It did not take Mijain a lot of time to avenge his loss to Khasan, as he beat him in the Beijing Olympics.

After defending his gold medal, Lopez spoke about his retirement. He felt it was the right time to allow the youngsters to take up the sport. "It’s a moment to demonstrate that someone has retired officially from the sport of wrestling and that also leaves a path wide open for the younger generation to continue inspiring others," claimed Lopez after his retirement.