PARIS: In a marquee matchup of the Olympic Games Paris 2024, Cuba’s Mijain Lopez Nunez made history with his 6-0 gold medal win in the 130kg Greco-Roman final on August 6, becoming the first athlete in Olympic history to win five gold medals in the same event.
The 41-year-old, who has been a dominant figure in the sport for nearly two decades, kissed the mat after the match before leaving his shoes behind to signify that his legendary career might possibly have come to an end, according to Olympics.com.
“I felt a little sad. It is as if you have left a part of your life there. 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,” Nunez said about the moment he walked away from his shoes.
“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,” Nunez added.
The 6-foot-5-inch wrestler experienced an array of emotions as the competition came to a close, picking up his coaches in celebration while holding back tears as he took in the moment.
His achievement in Paris is all the more remarkable considering that Nunez had reportedly not stepped onto the mat to compete in any tournament since winning gold at Tokyo 2020, as per Olympics.com.
Chile’s Cuban-born Yasmani Acosta took the silver medal in a matchup that was very familiar, given the two spent nine years as training partners.
“I feel a mix of emotions. I wanted to win gold, but at the same time, not so much because it’s Mijain, a legend in wrestling worldwide. He’s a rival, but also a friend. We have known each other for a long time now. We did the trials together for this year’s Olympic Games. He has been giving me advice in every phase, so he’s everything–a rival, a friend, he’s a brother,” Acosta said after the fight.
In the bronze medal matches, People’s Republic of China’s Meng Lingzhe and Islamic Republic of Iran’s Amin Mirzazadeh overcame Abdellatif Mohamed of Egypt and Azerbaijan’s Sabah Shariati, respectively. (ANI)