Mijaín López Starts Paris Campaign with Dominant Win

Mijaín López, the Cuban wrestler and four-time Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, made a strong debut this Monday in Paris with a comfortable 7-0 victory over South Korean Seungchan Lee. This win propels him to the second round in the over 130-kilogram weight class of his discipline.

López, 41, will next face Iran's reigning world champion Amin Mirzazadeh in the quarterfinals. "I wasn't very impressed by the Iranian in his first bout," sports journalist Francys Romero commented on social media, referring to López's upcoming opponent.

Brimming with confidence, the Cuban wrestler arrived in the French capital last Thursday, determined to secure his fifth title in what will undoubtedly be his final Olympic Games. A champion in Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016, and Tokyo 2020, the athlete widely regarded as the "GOAT" (Greatest of All Time) in Greco-Roman style expressed his excitement about being at the event and his readiness to compete.

“I will be on the mats to show once more that I can achieve the objective. Physically and mentally, I have always been prepared. Now it's just about executing what we've practiced,” the gladiator stated.

A post on the official X account of the Paris Olympic Games featured an emotional summary of López’s previous Olympic victories in his pursuit of gold. "For a record of 120 years! Today begins the 130 kg category in Greco-Roman wrestling. Mijaín López seeks his fifth consecutive gold medal and aims to match fencer Ramón Fonst (1900-1904)," the Olympic entity posted.

Elite Group of Champions

Currently, López shares an elite status with five other athletes who have won four consecutive gold medals in the same specialty. These remarkable sports figures include American swimmer Michael Phelps, track and field stars Carl Lewis and Alfred Oester, Danish sailor Paul Elvstrom, and Japanese wrestler Kaori Icho.

Beyond chasing more medals, López could also set a new record in Paris 2024 as the oldest wrestling medalist in the history of the games, a title currently held by Adolf Lindfors, who won gold in Antwerp 1920. Adding more intrigue, the prestigious sports magazine Sports Illustrated published its usual list of predictions and surprisingly forecasted only a bronze medal for the Cuban.

López made his Olympic debut in Athens 2004, finishing in fifth place. Since then, he has dominated the sport. To adhere to his training plan, the Cuban delegation decided that López would not carry the national flag during the opening ceremony, a role taken by boxer Julio César La Cruz, who was eliminated in his debut at 92 kilograms.