Mijaín López Núñez (born 20 August 1982) is a Cuban retired Greco-Roman wrestler. Widely considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, López is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time World Champion, for a total of 10 world gold medals ( second highest, behind Aleksandr Karelin's twelve), and a five-time

Pan American Games The Pan American Games, known as the Pan Am Games, is a continental multi-sport event in the Americas. It features thousands of athletes participating in competitions to win different summer sports. It is held among athletes from nations of th ...

champion. He is the younger brother of Michel López Núñez, a Cuban amateur boxer. López was Cuba's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

2012 2012 was designated as: *International Year of Cooperatives *International Year of Sustainable Energy for All Events January *January 4 – The Cicada 3301 internet hunt begins. * January 12 – Peaceful protests begin in the R ...

2016 2016 was designated as: * International Year of Pulses by the sixty-eighth session of the United Nations General Assembly. * International Year of Global Understanding (IYGU) by the International Council for Science (ICSU), the Internationa ...

and

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

Summer Olympics, and one of the country's flag bearers at the closing ceremony of the

2024 Summer Olympics The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...

. Upon winning the gold medal in the Greco-Roman 130 kg event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, López became the first and only athlete in modern Olympics history to win five consecutive gold medals in the same individual event.

Career

López has represented

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

at the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, and

Summer Olympics in

Athens Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

Beijing Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, and

London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, and was his country's flag bearer during the opening ceremonies in 2008 and 2012. In 2004, he placed fifth, whereas in 2008 and 2012, he won the gold medal in the men's Greco-Roman 120 kg category. At the 2016 Rio Games, López won Gold in the 130 kg category. He again won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games without losing a single point in the tournament, becoming the first male wrestler to win four Olympic gold medals, as well as only the fifth athlete to win four gold medals in the same individual event. During the opening ceremony of the same Olympics, he also became the first Cuban representative to become the country’s flag bearer four times, breaking the tie between Teófilo Stevenson and himself. In 2016, López won his tenth gold medal at the national wrestling championships of Cuba. At the

Paris Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, López won his fifth gold medal, becoming the first Olympic athlete in any sport to win five gold medals in the same individual event. He subsequently left his wrestling shoes in the center of the mat after his victory, signifying his retirement from the sport.

International competition record

World Championships

* In the 2005 World Championships he won the gold medal in the 120 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 52-0 up to the final, before winning the final 7-1 vs Mihaly deak-bardos (HUN), in

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

(

Hungary Hungary is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning much of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the south, Croatia and ...

). * In the 2006 World Wrestling Championships he won the silver medal in the 120 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 40-0 up to the final, before losing the final 0-12 vs Khasan Baroev (RUS), in

Guangzhou Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

(

China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...

). * In the 2007 World Wrestling Championships he won the gold medal in the 120 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 49-9 up to the final, before winning the final 2-2 vs Khasan Baroev (RUS), in

Baku Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

(

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan, officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, is a Boundaries between the continents, transcontinental and landlocked country at the boundary of West Asia and Eastern Europe. It is a part of the South Caucasus region and is bounded by ...

). * In the 2009 World Wrestling Championships he won the gold medal in the 120 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 25-0 up to the final, before winning the final 6-1 vs Dremiel Byers (USA), in Herning (

Denmark Denmark is a Nordic countries, Nordic country in Northern Europe. It is the metropole and most populous constituent of the Kingdom of Denmark,, . also known as the Danish Realm, a constitutionally unitary state that includes the Autonomous a ...

). * In the 2010 World Wrestling Championships he won the gold medal in the 120 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 21-0 up to the final, before winning the final 4-0 vs Yury Patrikeyev (ARM), in

Moscow Moscow is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Russia by population, largest city of Russia, standing on the Moskva (river), Moskva River in Central Russia. It has a population estimated at over 13 million residents with ...

(

Russia Russia, or the Russian Federation, is a country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia. It is the list of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the world, and extends across Time in Russia, eleven time zones, sharing Borders ...

). * In the 2011 World Wrestling Championships he won the silver medal in the 120 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 16-0 up to the final, before losing the final 0-4 vs Rıza Kayaalp (TUR), in

Istanbul Istanbul is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With Demographics of Istanbul, a population over , it is home to 18% of the Demographics ...

(

Turkey Turkey, officially the Republic of Türkiye, is a country mainly located in Anatolia in West Asia, with a relatively small part called East Thrace in Southeast Europe. It borders the Black Sea to the north; Georgia (country), Georgia, Armen ...

). * In the 2014 World Wrestling Championships he won the gold medal in the 130 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 25-2 up to the final, before winning the final 2-0 vs Rıza Kayaalp (TUR), in

Tashkent Tashkent (), also known as Toshkent, is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uzbekistan, largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of more than 3 million people as of April 1, 2024. I ...

(

Uzbekistan , image_flag = Flag of Uzbekistan.svg , image_coat = Emblem of Uzbekistan.svg , symbol_type = Emblem of Uzbekistan, Emblem , national_anthem = "State Anthem of Uzbekistan, State Anthem of the Republ ...

). * In the 2015 World Wrestling Championships he won the silver medal in the 130 kg weight class, outscoring his opponents 15-1 up to the final, before losing the final 0-4 vs Rıza Kayaalp (TUR), in

Las Vegas Las Vegas, colloquially referred to as Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. The Las Vegas Valley metropolitan area is the largest within the greater Mojave Desert, and second-l ...

(

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

Olympic Games

* In the 2004 Olympics he placed fifth in the 120 kg weight class in

. * In the 2008 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 24-3 in the 120 kg weight class in

. * In the 2012 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 14-0 in the 120 kg weight class in

. * In the 2016 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 16-0 in the 130 kg weight class in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

. * In the 2020 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 24-0 in the 130 kg weight class in

Tokyo Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

. * In the 2024 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 20-2 in the 130 kg weight class in

. , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , International competition record , - ! Res. ! Opponent ! Record ! Score ! Date ! Event ! Location ! Venue , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Won , align=left, Yuri Evseichik , 1-0 , 5-0 , rowspan=2, 24 August 2004 , rowspan=4,

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

, rowspan=4,

Athens, Greece Athens ( ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Greece, largest city of Greece. A significant coastal urban area in the Mediterranean, Athens is also the capital of the Attica (region), Attica region and is the southe ...

, rowspan=4, Ano Liosia Olympic Hall (now SUNEL Arena) , - , Won , align=left, Yekta Yılmaz Gül , 2-0 , 4-0 , - , Lost , align=left, Khasan Baroev , 2-1 , 0-2 , rowspan=2, 25 August 2004 , - , Won , align=left, Yannick Szczepaniak , 3-1 , WO , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Won , align=left, Ari Taub , 4-1 , 16-0 , rowspan=5, 2 October 2005 , rowspan=5, 2005 World Wrestling Championships , rowspan=5, Budapest, Hungary , rowspan=5,

László Papp Budapest Sports Arena The László Papp Budapest Sports Arena (), also known as Budapest Sports Arena or locally just Arena, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in Budapest, Hungary. It is the second biggest sports complex in the country after MVM Dome, which is also in t ...

, - , Won , align=left, Yekta Yılmaz Gül , 5-1 , 16-0 , - , Won , align=left, Juha Ahokas , 6-1 , 12-0 , - , Won , align=left, Georgiy Tsurtsumia , 7-1 , 8-0 , - , Won , align=left,

Mihály Deák-Bárdos Mihály Deák-Bárdos (born 30 January 1975) is a Hungarian amateur Greco-Roman_wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestler, who played for the men's super heavyweight category. He is a four-time Olympian, and a six-time medalist at the FILA European Wrestl ...

, 8-1 , 7-1 , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Won , align=left, Liu Hao , 9-1 , 11-0 , rowspan=5, 27 September 2006 , rowspan=5, 2006 World Wrestling Championships , rowspan=5,

Guangzhou, China Guangzhou, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Canton or Kwangchow, is the Capital city, capital and largest city of Guangdong Provinces of China, province in South China, southern China. Located on the Pearl River about nor ...

, rowspan=5,

Tianhe Gymnasium The Tianhe Gymnasium of Tianhe Sports Center is a sports venue in Tianhe District, Guangzhou. It hosted badminton events during the 2010 Asian Games. On 23 April 2019, the Tianhe Sports Center and Guangzhou Loong Lions finished the hand-over ce ...

, - , Won , align=left, Mindaugas Mizgaitis , 10-1 , 13-0 , - , Won , align=left, İsmail Güzel , 11-1 , 7-0 , - , Won , align=left,

, 12-1 , 9-0 , - , Lost , align=left, Khasan Baroev , 12-2 , 0-12 , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Won , align=left, Anton Botev , 13-2 , 16-3 , rowspan=5, 19 September 2007 , rowspan=5, 2007 World Wrestling Championships , rowspan=5,

Baku, Azerbaijan Baku (, ; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Azerbaijan, largest city of Azerbaijan, as well as the largest city on the Caspian Sea and in the Caucasus region. Baku is below sea level, which makes it the List of capital ci ...

, rowspan=5, Heydar Aliyev Sports and Concert Complex , - , Won , align=left, Davyd Saldadze , 14-2 , 7-0 , - , Won , align=left, Yuri Patrikeyev , 15-2 , 8-5 , - , Won , align=left,

Ioseb Chugoshvili Ioseb Ivanesh Chugoshvili ( ka, იოსებ ივანეს ჩუგოშვილი; born July 29, 1986, in Telavi, Georgia (country), Georgia) is an amateur Belarusian Greco-Roman wrestler of Georgian origin, who competes in the men's ...

, 16-2 , 13-0 , - , Won , align=left, Khasan Baroev , 17-2 , 2-2 , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Won , align=left, Siarhei Artsiukhin , 18-2 , 5-1 , rowspan=4, 14 August 2008 , rowspan=4,

2008 Summer Olympics The 2008 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXIX Olympiad () and officially branded as Beijing 2008 (), were an international multisport event held from 8 to 24 August 2008, in Beijing, China. A total of 10,942 athletes fro ...

, rowspan=4,

Beijing, China Beijing, Chinese postal romanization, previously romanized as Peking, is the capital city of China. With more than 22 million residents, it is the world's List of national capitals by population, most populous national capital city as well as ...

, rowspan=4,

China Agricultural University Gymnasium The China Agricultural University Gymnasium () is an indoor arena located on the campus of the China Agricultural University in Beijing. It hosted the Wrestling at the 2008 Summer Olympics, wrestling events of the 2008 Summer Olympics. The Gymnasi ...

, - , Won , align=left, Yuri Patrikeyev , 19-2 , 4F-1 , - , Won , align=left, Jalmar Sjöberg , 20-2 , 9-0 , - , Won , align=left, Khasan Baroev , 21-2 , 6-1 , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Won , align=left, Ali Nadhim , 22-2 , 7-0 , rowspan=5, 27 September 2009 , rowspan=5, 2009 World Wrestling Championships , rowspan=5, Herning, Denmark , rowspan=5,

Messecenter Herning The MCH Messecenter Herning is an convention center, exhibition centre and entertainment complex in Herning, Herning, Denmark. The complex is the largest fair and exhibition center in Denmark– beating the Bella Center in Copenhagen. Locate ...

, - , Won , align=left, Rafael Barreno , 23-2 , 12-0 , - , Won , align=left,

, 24-2 , 4-5 , - , Won , align=left, Rıza Kayaalp , 25-2 , 2-0 , - , Won , align=left, Dremiel Byers , 26-2 , 6F-1 , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Won , align=left, Nie Xiaoming , 27-2 , 8-0 , rowspan=5, 7 September 2010 , rowspan=5, 2010 World Wrestling Championships , rowspan=5, Moscow, Russia , rowspan=5,

Olympic Stadium ''Olympic Stadium'' is the name usually given to the main stadium of an Olympic Games The modern Olympic Games (Olympics; ) are the world's preeminent international Olympic sports, sporting events. They feature summer and winter sports ...

, - , Won , align=left, Łukasz Banak , 28-2 , 4-0 , - , Won , align=left, Marek Švec , 29-2 , 7-0 , - , Won , align=left, Nurmakhan Tinaliyev , 30-2 , 2-0 , - , Won , align=left, Yuri Patrikeyev , 31-2 , 4-0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Won , align=left, Johan Eurén , 32-2 , 3-0 , rowspan=6, 13 September 2011 , rowspan=6, 2011 World Wrestling Championships , rowspan=6,

Istanbul, Turkey Istanbul is the largest city in Turkey, constituting the country's economic, cultural, and historical heart. With a population over , it is home to 18% of the population of Turkey. Istanbul is among the largest cities in Europe and in th ...

, rowspan=6, Sinan Erdem Dome , - , Won , align=left, Murat Ramonov , 33-2 , 6-0 , - , Won , align=left, Yuri Patrikeyev , 34-2 , 3-0 , - , Won , align=left, Bashir Babajanzadeh , 35-2 , 2-0 , - , Won , align=left, Łukasz Banak , 36-2 , 2-0 , - , Lost , align=left, Rıza Kayaalp , 36-3 , 0-4 , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Won , align=left, Abdelrahman El-Trabely , 37-3 , 4-0 , rowspan=4, 6 August 2012 , rowspan=4,

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, rowspan=4,

London, United Kingdom London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...

, rowspan=4, ExCeL London , - , Won , align=left, Guram Pherselidze , 38-3 , 4-0 , - , Won , align=left, Rıza Kayaalp , 39-3 , 3-0 , - , Won , align=left, Heiki Nabi , 40-3 , 3-1 , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Won , align=left, Murodjon Tuychiev , 41-3 , 10-2 , rowspan=5, 13 September 2014 , rowspan=5, 2014 World Wrestling Championships , rowspan=5, Tashkent, Uzbekistan , rowspan=5, Gymnastics Sport Palace , - , Won , align=left, Eduard Popp , 42-3 , 8-0 , - , Won , align=left, Behnam Mehdizadeh , 43-3 , 6c-0 , - , Won , align=left, Bilyal Makhov , 44-3 , 1-0 , - , Won , align=left, Rıza Kayaalp , 45-3 , 2-0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Won , align=left, Bilyal Makhov , 46-3 , 2-1 , rowspan=5, 8 September 2015 , rowspan=5, 2015 World Wrestling Championships , rowspan=5,

, rowspan=5,

Orleans Arena Orleans Arena is a 9,500-seat multi-purpose arena in Paradise, Nevada, in the Las Vegas Valley. It is located at the The Orleans, Orleans Hotel and Casino and is operated by Coast Casinos, a subsidiary of Boyd Gaming, Boyd Gaming Corporation. ...

, - , Won , align=left, Mindaugas Mizgaitis , 47-3 , 3-0 , - , Won , align=left, Heiki Nabi , 48-3 , 2-0 , - , Won , align=left, Robby Smith , 49-3 , 8-0 , - , Lost , align=left, Rıza Kayaalp , 49-4 , 0-1 , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Won , align=left, Heiki Nabi , 50-4 , 3-0 , rowspan=4, 15 August 2016 , rowspan=4,

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

, rowspan=4,

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the sixth-most-populous city in the Americas. Founded in 1565 by the Portuguese, the city wa ...

, rowspan=4, Carioca Arena 2 , - , Won , align=left, Johan Eurén , 51-4 , 4-0 , - , Won , align=left, Sergey Semenov , 52-4 , 3-0 , - , Won , align=left, Rıza Kayaalp , 53-4 , 6-0 , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Won , align=left, Alin Alexuc-Ciurariu , 54-4 , 9-0 , rowspan=3, 1 August 2021 , rowspan=4,

2020 Summer Olympics The officially the and officially branded as were an international multi-sport event that was held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some of the preliminary sporting events beginning on 21 July 2021. Tokyo ...

, rowspan=4,

Tokyo, Japan Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

, rowspan=4,

Makuhari Messe is a convention center in Chiba (city), Chiba City, Chiba Prefecture, Japan, located just outside of Tokyo. Designed by Fumihiko Maki, it is accessible by Transportation in Greater Tokyo#Railway and subway, Tokyo's commuter rail system. ''Makuha ...

, - , Won , align=left, Amin Mirzazadeh , 55-4 , 8-0 , - , Won , align=left, Rıza Kayaalp , 56-4 , 2-0 , - , Won , align=left, Iakobi Kajaia , 57-4 , 5-0 , 2 August 2021 , - ! style=background:white colspan=8 , , - , Won , align=left, Lee Seung-chan , 58-4 , 7-0 , rowspan=3, 5 August 2024 , rowspan=4,

, rowspan=4,

Paris, France Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...

, rowspan=4, Grand Palais Éphémère , - , Won , align=left, Amin Mirzazadeh , 59-4 , 3-1 , - , Won , align=left,

Sabah Shariati Sabah Saleh Shariati (, ; born 1 January 1989 in Sanandaj, Kurdistan province, Iran) is an Iranian-born naturalized Azerbaijani Greco-Roman wrestler. He won bronze in the 2016 Rio Olympics, losing to eventual silver medalist and 4 time world ...

, 60-4 , 4-1 , - , Won , align=left,

Yasmani Acosta Yasmani Acosta Fernández (born 16 July 1988) is a Chilean-Cuban Greco-Roman wrestling, Greco-Roman wrestler competing in the Wrestling weight classes#Men's Greco-Roman wrestling, 130-kilogram weight class. Born in Cuba, he now represents Chil ...

, 61-4 , 6-0 , 6 August 2024 , -

References

External links

Career

International competition record

World Championships

Olympic Games

See also

References

External links