New Delhi: In a historic moment at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, Cubas Mijain Lopez Nunez triumphed in the 130kg Greco-Roman wrestling final, securing his fifth consecutive gold medal. With a commanding 6-0 victory on August 6, Lopez Nunez became the first athlete to achieve this milestone in the same Olympic event.An emotional farewellThe 41-year-old wrestling icon, who has dominated the sport for nearly two decades, celebrated his win by kissing the mat and leaving his shoes behind—a traditional sign of retirement. I felt a little sad. It is as if you have left a part of your life there, Lopez Nunez shared with Olympics.com. Reflecting on his illustrious career, he added, From a very early age, I was doing this sport—a sport that has made me known worldwide. I left a dream on the mat, but a dream that will inspire all young people.Wants to motivate future generationsLopez Nunez hopes his legacy will motivate the next generation of wrestlers. The legacy that I want to leave to all the young people who follow me is to always fight for what they want to achieve. There are no goals, there is no age, there are no purposes in life that cannot be achieved, he emphasized.Nunezs history of grabbing goldLopez Nunezs victory is particularly remarkable given that he had not competed since winning gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. Despite the hiatus, he demonstrated his enduring prowess on the mat, celebrating with his coaches and shedding tears of joy.Wresling rivalry gets better of NunezIn the final, Lopez Nunez faced Chiles Cuban-born Yasmani Acosta, a former training partner. Acosta expressed mixed emotions after the match. I wanted to win gold, but at the same time, not so much because its Mijain, a legend in wrestling worldwide. Hes a rival, but also a friend. We have known each other for a long time now. We did the trials together for this years Olympic Games. He has been giving me advice in every phase, so hes everything—a rival, a friend, hes a brother, Acosta said.Bronze medal contendersIn the bronze medal matches, Meng Lingzhe of China and Amin Mirzazadeh of Iran defeated Abdellatif Mohamed of Egypt and Sabah Shariati of Azerbaijan, respectively, adding to the intense competition of the event.
