Paris 2024: Mijaín López and his Olympic records

The Cuban Mijaín López made history in modern Olympic sports this Tuesday, becoming the first competitor in any discipline to win five consecutive titles in the same individual event.

It happened in the wrestling competition, in the 130-kilogram division of the Greco-Roman style, where the legend of the island reigned in Paris 2024, the same one who dominated earlier in Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio de Janeiro 2016, and Tokyo 2020.

Furthermore, no wrestler had ever won five titles in the history of the Games, and along the way, he also made history as the oldest gladiator to win a medal, at 41 years and 11 months, a record previously held by Adolf Lindfors (41 and a half years old), who won gold in Antwerp 1920.

The "Gigante de Herradura" (5-0-0) reaffirmed itself as the top winner of crowns in its country and tied with the fencer Ramón Fonst (4-1-0/Paris 1900, St. Louis 1904) in terms of the number of medals.

Two decades after his debut in Athens 2004, where he left without stepping onto the podium, Mijaín López closed the curtains on his unmatched Olympic career, and the emotion reached unexpected heights as he knelt, placed his shoes in the center of the mat, and shed tears amidst a bundle of feelings.

In the decisive fight, he displayed that demeanor of an invincible man, a tough type, but his indomitable nature changed after declaring victory over his compatriot Yasmani Acosta (6-0), representative of Chile and also a source of pride for the island.

With a slow gait, López, dressed in red and wearing a tight leotard, returned to competitive surface and gave a legendary farewell for the delight of the thousands of people present at the Champ de Mars Arena and the many more who watched him become the only athlete in history to win the same individual event five times under the shadow of the five rings.

To say Mijaín is to speak of a living legend, one of those chosen for glory. It is understandable that he is considered the "GOAT" (the greatest of all time) of wrestling, because he also has five other universal titles and four in multidisciplinary competitions at the continental level.

They say that his only defeat in the Olympic Games occurred on the distant date of August 24, 2004, against the Russian Kashan Baroev. After that, only smiles and dances followed. Unbeatable.

The Cuban is one of the best athletes in history. The results speak for themselves. A man who arrived in France without fighting since 2021 and always seemed like effort was just taking a stroll near the Eiffel Tower.

The Greek style will be missed in Los Angeles 2028, because in France there was no room for doubt. He remains whole, strong as ever. But he will not continue and his words are respected. It's time to gather the seats and bow: a king said goodbye.