Paris 2024 Olympics: Mijain Lopez wins fifth consecutive gold in men’s Greco-Roman wrestling

Cuba’s Mijain Lopez became the first athlete to win five successive Olympic gold medals in the same event after sealing the win in the men’s 130kg Greco-Roman wrestling final at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

Mijain Lopez Nunez of Team Cuba removes his shoes to signify his retirement following his victory and earning of fifth Olympic Gold during the Wrestling Men’s Greco-roman 130kg Gold Medal match. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Cuba’s Mijain Lopez became the first athlete to win five successive Olympic gold medals in the same event after sealing the win in the men’s 130kg Greco-Roman wrestling final at the Paris 2024 Olympics on Tuesday.

After sealing the win against Chile’s Yasmani Acosta, the 41-year-old removed his shoes on the mat to signal his retirement from the sport after his sixth Olympics.

With his victory, Lopez broke a tie for four successive individual Olympic golds he shared with Carl Lewis (athletics/long jump), Michael Phelps (swimming/200m medley), Katie Ledecky (swimming/800m freestyle), Al Oerter (athletics/discus), Paul Elvstrom (sailing) and Kaori Icho (wrestling).

A legend of wrestling, Lopez had retired after the 2021 Tokyo Games before returning to the sport to achieve his landmark triumph.

Despite a three-year absence, Lopez stunned world champion Amin Mirzazadeh of Iran in the quarter-finals in Paris.

In six Olympic appearances, Lopez now has 22 victories against just one defeat which came in the quarter-finals of the 2004 Games in Athens.