Last dance of gentle giant: Mijain Lopez retires after winning 5th Olympic gold

The Champ-de-Mars arena in Paris couldn’t have applauded more for wrestler Mijain Lopez Nunez as he won his fifth gold at the 130kg Greco-Roman final. This is the first time an athlete has won five consecutive gold medals in the same event in the history of the Olympics.

Mijain Lopez, 41, has been a force to reckon with in wrestling for two decades in the Greco-Roman category.

Lopez, a five-time Pan American Games Champion, five-time world champion, and now a five-time Olympic Champion, has proven to the world that he is one of the greatest wrestlers of all time.

In the gold medal bout, Mijain Lopez faced Chile’s Yasmani Acosta Fernandez. Incidentally, Yasmani was once a Cuban citizen and represented Cuba at the 2004 Athens Olympics.

He and Mijain were former training partners in the Cuban wrestling circle. Despite their familiarity with each other's styles, Mijain Lopez lifted Yasmani off the mat and threw him over his shoulder to score two points. He eventually won the bout 6-0 and claimed the gold medal.

In a poignant moment after the bout ended, Mijain Lopez untied his boots, raised them to his lips, and placed them in the centre of the mat, signifying that his wrestling career coming to an end.

In the post-match interview, an emotional Lopez said, “I felt a little sad. It is as if I have left a part of my life there. From a very early age, I was involved in the sport that made me known worldwide. I left a dream on the mat, but it is a dream that will inspire all young people."

Despite his departure, Lopez's passion for the sport remained evident, as he sought to inspire others to pursue their own dreams.

“The legacy I want to leave for all young people who follow me is to always fight for what they want to achieve. There are no goals, no age, and no purposes in life that cannot be achieved,” Lopez added.