Cuba’s Greco-Roman wrestling legend Mijain Lopez will retire after making an attempt on his fourth Olympics gold at the Tokyo 2020 Games.
Three-time Olympic gold medallist Lopez has announced that he will retire after attempting for a record-breaking fourth Olympic gold medal at the Tokyo Games, 2020.
“After Tokyo I am retiring. It’s already decided,” the Cuban wrestling legend said.
When asked about reasons behind this decision, Lopez, who is also a five-time World Champion, said “(it is) because of my age, I want to rest and it’s time to give the opportunity to new generations. I want to say goodbye of course by winning my fourth Olympic gold medal. I am preparing myself for this and I am sure that I will achieve it.”
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If Lopez (37) wins the gold in Tokyo, he will create a world record surpassing Russian Aleksandr Karelin, who too has won three Greco-Roman Olympic golds – at Seoul (1988), Barcelona (1992) and Atlanta (1996).
Lopez has made it to the World Championships finals on eight occasions. It was only thrice that he had to settle for the silver. On every other occasion, he has been triumphant on the world stage.
Besides gold medals at the 2008 Beijing, 2012 London and 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, the heavyweight legend also has three UWW World Cup and five World Cup titles to his credit. His roll of honours also includes one World University Championships, five Pan-American Championships, three Central American and Caribbean Games, nine Pan American Championships and one Junior Pan American Championships gold medal. Besides, he also had won a freestyle gold in the 2002 Junior Pan American Championships.
The Greco-Roman wrestler, who is known as ‘El Nino’ (the child) in his native Cuba, won gold in Olympic games in 2008, 2012 and 2016. Lopez has also won five world championship and five Pan American titles. The 6-foot-4 inches giant also won three silver world medals
A fourth gold would cement Lopez’s status as the best wrestler in history and make him the most successful Cuban Olympian of all time, surpassing boxers Teofilo Stevenson and Felix Savon, and fencer Ramon Fonst, all of whom won three gold medals.
