2024-08-07 18:53:29
[PARiS 2024]
Cuba Lopez Wrestling Greco-Roman 130kg Gold
Reigning as Olympic champion since the 2008 Beijing Games
“For the young players” Leave your sneakers on the mat
5 Gold name tags: “Youth-Transcendence-Effort-Sacrifice-Joy”
Cuban wrestling legend Mijain Lopez (42) bowed his head and kissed the mat after becoming the first individual single event champion in Olympic history to win five consecutive gold medals. Lopez, who finished his last Olympics, took off his wrestling shoes, placed them on the mat, and left the stadium. He then said, “I left a part of my life and a dream on the mat. Now, this dream is for the young athletes.” The New York Times described this scene as “the moment when the greatest career in wrestling history ends.”
On the 7th, at the Champ de Mars Arena in Paris, France, Lopez defeated Yasmani Acosta (36, Chile) 6-0 in the final of the men’s Greco-Roman 130kg wrestling class at the Paris Olympics to win the title. With this, Lopez achieved the most consecutive wins in a single Olympic event for a fifth time. The previous record was four consecutive wins, held by Carl Lewis (athletics, long jump), Michael Phelps (swimming, men’s 200m individual medley), Katie Ledecky (swimming, women’s 800m freestyle, both from the US), and Kaori Icho (Japan, wrestling, women’s 63kg freestyle).
Lopez, who built up his strength by carrying fruit boxes in his neighborhood as a child, had been aiming to become an Olympian since he started wrestling when he was ten. He achieved his dream by representing Cuba in the 2004 Athens Games, but he finished in fifth place after losing in the quarterfinals and did not win a medal. However, after winning his first gold medal in the men’s Greco-Roman 120kg class at the 2008 Beijing Games, he has maintained the Olympic crown for 16 years up until this Paris Olympics. The weight class Lopez competes in was adjusted to 130kg starting from the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games. Lopez recorded 22 consecutive Olympic wins since losing in the quarterfinals at the Athens Games and up until the finals today. The British Guardian even commented, “Lopez’s only enemy is time, which cannot be reversed.”
Lopez had hinted at retirement after the 2021 Tokyo Games, but returned ahead of these Olympics. Lopez had not competed in an international competition in the past three years, which raised concerns that he might lose his competitive touch, but he maintained his throne with his remaining strength and technique.
Lopez defeated Lee Seung-chan (29), a Korean national team member, 7-0 in the round of 16. In the quarterfinals, which were considered the most difficult, he defeated last year’s World Championship winner Amin Mirzazadeh (26, Iran), who is 16 years younger than him, 3-1. Acosta, whom Lopez met in the final, was a former training partner for nine years. Born in Cuba, Acosta had repeatedly failed to qualify for the Olympics, losing to Lopez, the strongest player in his weight class. For this reason, Acosta left Cuba in 2015 and became a Chilean citizen. Lopez showed superior skills against his old teammate whom he had not seen in a long time and won the gold medal. Acosta said, “I wanted to win the gold medal, but my opponent in the final was a wrestling legend,” and added, “I want to congratulate Lopez, my friend and rival.”
Lopez, who left behind a great record and said goodbye to the Olympics, was asked at a press conference after the game to describe each of the five gold medals he had won in one word. He said, “The gold medal at the Beijing Games was youth, the gold medal at the London Games was transcendence, the gold medal at the Rio Games was effort, and the gold medal at the Tokyo Games was sacrifice,” and added, “The gold medal at the Paris Olympics is joy.” Lopez said, “I want to educate the younger generation in the future,” and expressed his intention to devote his efforts to nurturing juniors after retirement.
American wrestler Amit Eller, 20 years old this year, has become the youngest Olympic wrestling gold medalist in her country’s history. Eller won the gold medal in the women’s freestyle 68kg class final on this day, defeating Merim Dzumanazarova (25, Kyrgyzstan) 3-0. According to the American daily USA Today, Eller has won 41 consecutive matches since 2019 with this gold medal.
Reporter Jeong Yun-cheol [email protected]
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2024-08-07 18:53:29