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I think it is something very, very big, and very exciting,” said Mijanín López. We have to be at the top level for many years. “The Olympic Games are the most important thing for any athlete.

Now I want a break then I’ll see if Mijaín continues or not ”. After he won the gold, he was asked about retirement and said: “Those are words, which are in thought only. Is Mijain López retiring yet?īefore the Tokyo Games, Mijaín López declared that he was already determined to retire to rest and give the new generation an opportunity, but apparently his competitive spirit is still determined to keep going. In an interview for he stated: “I am doing what I learned, with what my predecessors, my parents, my brothers, my grandparents taught me … I believe that I am transmitting to the world that, no matter how great you are, humility will always be the greatest virtue”. Mijaín López celebrates his fourth Olympic Gold.

In the celebration, he first knocked down his coach, then carried a teammate around the mat and, finally, he draped himself with the Cuban flag, all of the above with his peculiar and unique smile. The giant celebrated with exuberance along with his teammates, at winning his fourth consecutive gold medal in the Olympic Games.

There were still 10 seconds left on the clock to end the gold medal match, however Kajaia accepted he was too far behind on points to win and conceded the match to Mijaín López. He beat Alin Alexuc (Romania) 9-0 8-0 to Amin Mirzazadeh (Islamic Republic of Iran) and 2-0 to Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) to reach the grand final and face Iakobi Kajaia (Georgia). And in Tokyo 2020?ĭespite having to stop training for an extended time due to the Covid-19 pandemic, Mijaín was still the favorite to win the Olympic gold and far exceeded the expectations of the Cuban people and his followers. Also nicknamed ‘El Terrible’, although he prefers to be called ‘ El Guerrillero de Cuba‘, he arrived at the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016 with all the confidence to ‘three-peat’ at the Gold medal podium. His unbeaten path continued at the London 2012 Olympic Games, where he beat all his rivals, demonstrating his power, the result of the effort, perseverance and discipline with which he prepares every day. In 2008 he was the Cuban delegation flag bearer at the Beijing Olympics and since winning his first Gold medal there, he has not lost a match. Mijaín López at the Olympic Games from Beijing 2008 to Rio 2016Įvery time he steps on the mat, Mijaín López uses strength to knock down his rivals, so he has become the most dominant athlete in Greco-Roman wrestling in recent times. And, like the Greek hero ‘Hercules’, endowed with almost unlimited strength, endurance, agility and superhuman reflexes, the legend of Mijaín López was just being born. From then on, he would continue to train and never know defeat again.

López did good for a 22 year old, who his brother Michel remembers as “spoiled, grumpy and a trouble-maker”. His father, concerned for his health, tried to persuade him to give up the sport but the young athlete persevered and continued.įour years later he would go to his first Olympic Games ( Athens 2004) where he finished fifth after losing to Russian Khasan Baroev, who won the gold medal. His career could have been cut short, as at the age of 13 he suffered a fractured tibia and fibula during a competition. “As soon as he was seen by the wrestling coach, he held on to him,” his mother explained in an interview with AFP. Even though he tried boxing, he dedicated himself to wrestling since he was 10 years old. His brothers Misael and Michel practiced rowing and boxing and tried to instill him with a taste for those sports. Since he was a child, Mijaín López developed his enormous physical strength by running after animals and carrying boxes of vegetables and fruits. Mijain López Photo: IG Olympic WrestlingĪt 39 years of age, Mijaín López is not only a four-time Olympic champion, he is also a five-time World Champion and five-time Pan American Games champion in Greco-Roman wrestling and undoubtedly a worthy representative of Afro-Latino heritage during Black History Month. Today, we repost it following the same purpose.Īt 6’5” and 291 lbs., Mijaín López made history at the 2020 Olympic Games in Tokyo joining Americans Carl Lewis (long jump), Michael Phelps (200 meter styles) and Al Oerter (discus throw) as the only athletes to win gold medals in four consecutive Olympic games for the same event (2008, 2012, 20). This article was originally published in February 2022 as part of a project to celebrate the legacy and valuable contribution of Afro-Latino athletes for Black History Month.