Fighter Mijaín López defeated Lionel Messi in a Prensa Latina survey

Cuban four-time Olympic champion Mijaín López surpassed Argentine Lionel Messi as best male athlete of the year in the traditional survey carried out by the Prensa Latina agency.

The fighter from Pinar del Río received 41 votes and comfortably surpassed the Rosario soccer player, who obtained 19.

So,the Taco Taco Giant won the award for the first time in a career that has made him the most awarded Greco-Roman style gladiator in summer fights.

The only fighter who had previously won this type of vote was the now deceased Raúl Cascaret, who achieved it in 1985.

Curiously,Mijaín was not initially considered the most outstanding athlete in his native province, Pinar del Río., who opted for another monarch of the Tokyo Games, the boxer Roniel Iglesias. However,The widespread rejection of this decision caused the territory's authorities to share the award between both athletes.

In the female section, the agency's survey was easily won by the Venezuelan triple jumper and world record holder Yulimar Rojas (73 votes), while the Argentine soccer team (47 votes) was the most outstanding team for its victory in the Copa América.

This year, the aforementioned media survey brought together 103 media outlets from 20 countries.