THE CUBAN GIANT PREPARES FOR HIS LAST DANCE

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Paris 2024 will be the final competition for the history-making Cuban wrestler, Mijain Lopez. At 41 years old, he will retire from high performance sport after seeking an historic fifth gold medal at the Olympic Games that would make him the most successful athlete in the history of Olympics.

In an exclusive interview with Panam Sports from Croatia, the five-time world champion describes his training and his expectations for the world’s top sporting event.

SANTIAGO, CHILE (January 24, 2024) — There are currently six athletes in the history of sport who share the record of winning four gold medals in the same individual event at the Olympic Games: U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps; his athletics compatriots Carl Lewis and Al Oerter; Paul Elvstrom of Denmark in sailing; Japan’s wrestler Icho Kaori and Cuba’s greco-roman wrestler, Mijain Lopez.

Of these athletes, only one is still competing with a shot of claiming the title of most golds in the same Olympic event and becoming known as the most successful athlete in history if he successfully reaches the top of the podium at Paris 2024.

Mijain Lopez, after winning his fourth Olympic gold at Tokyo 2020, spent more than two years without training and analyzing whether he was motivated to continue competing at the highest level. Much speculation arose during his pause in competition, as many believed the four-time Olympic champion and five-time world and Pan American champion had retired.

However, his passion for wrestling and his great dream of winning a fifth Olympic gold medal has led him to return to training and concentrate for the main event at Paris 2024.

He originally planned to compete at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games in preparation, but the death of his father and other physical factors led him to withdraw from competing in Chile and focus exclusively on the Olympic Games.

At the start of 2024 he began full preparations once again, with a strong training program and plan to arrive ready to compete in France. He traveled to Croatia for a training camp and in a few more weeks he will travel to Bulgaria to continue his training.

“I am very happy with this start to the year. As we say in Cuba, it started very warm. After a long rest, my body feels very good. I am very excited, motivated and determined to go to Paris to win my fifth gold medal,” the Mijain Lopez told Panam Sports in an exclusive interview.

Faced with the opportunity of becoming the athlete with the most decorated athlete in an single event at the Olympics and surpassing great stars like Carl Lewis or Michael Phelps, Lopez is not shying away from the challenge.

“That is my great goal, to be the best. Paris 2024 will be something historic and different, it’s a great challenge that I want to take one. I hope that many people go to the competition to watch and help me achieve this great milestone for worldwide sport. I want us all to enjoy and be able to celebrate a new gold medal for Cuba and me,” he added.

His retirement from high competition already has a defined date. It will be after his participation in the Olympic Games where he will say goodbye forever to more than 20 years of joys and triumphs in greco-roman wrestling.

“It’s already decided. I’m retiring after Paris. I have been dedicating myself to sports for many years. It is time to be with and enjoy my family and my children, and to be able to help the new Cuban generations of wrestling to follow the same path and support that I had in my sports career,” said the five-time world and Pan American Games champion.

“The truth is that I want to help and transmit all my experience and knowledge to younger people. I have to admit that I wouldn’t like to be a coach. I prefer to be a leader and help the sporting development of my country and my people using that platform,” Mijain Lopez said when asked which career route he’d prefer after he retires from competition.

The greco-roman wrestling competition at Paris 2024 will take place at the Campo de Marte Arena and is scheduled from August 5 to 11. Mijain Lopez, the “Cuban Giant”, will serve as the headliner of the competition as he chases history and strives to be crowned both the world’s best wrestler and the greatest individual athlete in the history of the Olympics.