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PARIS — Cuban wrestler Mijaín López used to be a part of a very exclusive club of athletes with four individual gold medals in the same event at an Olympic Games. Only seven athletes have achieved the feat, including swimming legend Michael Phelps, former track hero Carl Lewis and now Katie Ledecky.
However, on Tuesday at the Paris Olympics, Lopez launched into a new group of his own. He achieved a record-breaking fifth straight individual title — a five-peat — as he won gold in the men’s greco-roman wrestling 130kg category.
Two other athletes — U.S. basketball stars Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi — have achieved the feat in team events. On an individual basis, though, Lopez’s achievement is unparalleled.
Another remarkable part of Lopez’s achievement on Tuesday: He hasn’t competed internationally since the last Olympic Games in Tokyo.
Whereas other wrestlers compete year-round, Lopez decided he was too old to put his body through the rigors of repeated competition, instead preferring to ready himself at lengthy training camps.
His advantage comes from his size. Lopez’s frame is just that much bigger than any of his opponents. Out of competition, he typically weighs around 150kg, meaning he is able to put a lot more back on after he makes weight. That advantage, and his skill, has resulted in an Olympic dominance unlike any other.
Lopez made his Olympic debut aged 21 at Athens 2004 where he exited in the quarterfinals. His golden run started in Beijing in 2008.
The Cuban wrestler has similarly dominated at these Games, as if his 41-year-old body were defying time itself. He made light work of his first-round match, achieving a 7-0 victory over South Korea’s Lee Seungchan. Hours after that, he booked his place in the final with 3-1 win over Iran’s Amin Mirzazadeh in the quarterfinals and a 4-1 victory over Sabah Shariati of Azerbaijan in the semifinals.
Tuesday’s final was a mismatch, too. Lopez steamrolled his opponent, Chile’s Yasmani Acosta Fernandez, in a 6-0 victory.