The international press highlighted this Wednesday the victory of Cuban Mijaín López in Paris 2024, the only athlete to win the gold medal in five consecutive Olympic Games in an individual event.
CNN described him as a legend: "With his triumph and his gold medal, Mijaín López is undoubtedly the best wrestler in history," it emphasized.
Likewise, the specialized media MARCA reported on his five Olympic victories in the 130 Kg category in Greco-Roman wrestling.
The New York Times said that the "iconic Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez," nicknamed "El Terrible," did something "absolutely incredible" by becoming "the first Olympian in history to win the same event in five consecutive Olympic Games."
"Peking 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, Tokyo 2020, and now Paris 2024, in Greco-Roman wrestling. Nicknamed 'The Terrible' due to how daunting it is to face him in the heavyweight category, he defeated his friend Yasmani Acosta from Chile 6-0," emphasized the American media.
BBC also reported that López became the athlete with the most consecutive gold medals in a single individual event in Olympic history this Tuesday.
"The 41-year-old wrestler was the winner in the Greco-Roman wrestling (130 kg) in which he defeated the Cuban nationalized Chilean Yasmani Acosta 6-0," he noted.
"The 'Horseshoe Giant,' standing 1.98 m tall and weighing 131 kg, won his fifth consecutive gold medal, something no other athlete has achieved in the past in wrestling or in any other individual competition," said BBC.
For its part, ESPN stated that the Olympic Pentachampion retired after winning the Gold in Paris 2024 and asked its readers if they agreed that he was "the greatest of all time."
Likewise, the Eurosport channel said it was an "incredibly surprising record in the Greco-Roman wrestling of 130 kg."
López's victory has echoed in the context of Paris 2024, where he establishes himself as the best Olympic athlete in history.
After the fight for gold on Tuesday, Mijaín confirmed that he is retiring from active sports after a long career for which he prepared since he was a child.
With a slow gait, he returned to the competitive surface and gave a legendary farewell in front of thousands of people present at the Champ de Mars Arena: he took off his shoes and placed them on his knees, in tears, on the Olympic logo printed on the mat.
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