By Zabihullah Shahzad, ASJF EC Member
Mijaín López Núñez, born August 20, 1982, is universally acclaimed as the best Greco-Roman wrestler in the history of the sport. Representing Cuba, he became the icon of excellence, resilience, and perfection in the heavyweight weight class, becoming a golden age in wrestling history and global sports.
As a youth, López showed remarkable strength, balance, and mastery of upper-body movements, all the prerequisites of Greco-Roman wrestling in the heavyweight division. These abilities did not go unnoticed for long by national coaches of Cuba, and he soon became a regular presence on the international scene.
Rise to World Stage
López’s breakthrough came at Budapest in 2005 at the World Wrestling Championships as he took his first world title in a stunning performance. In the following years, he continued to showcase his best form consistency, winning gold medals from the World Championships in 2007, 2009, 2010, and 2014. His dominance established him as the unbeaten heavyweight Greco-Roman wrestling force. At the national level, too, he won multiple Cuban championships, including his 10th domestic title in 2016.
Olympic Glory
López’s Olympic career is one of determination and dominance. He made his debut in 2004 at the Athens Games, placing fifth. However, from the 2008 Beijing Olympics, he won five consecutive Olympic gold medals (2008, 2012, 2016, 2020, and 2024 in Paris), a first in Olympic history. Following his fifth Olympic win in Paris, López laid his shoes on the mat, retiring de facto and joining sport’s immortals.
Legendary Rivalries
In his competitive life, López competed and won against some of the most popular wrestling names, such as Khasan Baroev (Russia), Rıza Kayaalp (Turkey), Dremiel Byers (USA), Amin Razzaghzadeh (Iran), and Mihály Deák-Bárdos (Hungary). These encounters highlighted not only his technical supremacy but also his psychological strength in pressure matches.
Wrestling Style
López’s style was defined by explosive upper body strength, sound positional accuracy, and skill with orthodox Greco-Roman grips and throws. As a heavyweight, where timing and balance are critical, his technique and strength rendered him almost unstoppable.
Beyond the Mat
An unbeatable wrestler, López is also a national Cuban hero. He carried the Cuban flag into Olympic opening ceremonies in 2008, 2012, 2016, and 2020, and into the closing ceremony of the 2024 Paris Games, showing his standing not only as a sports legend but an inspirational one. His sporting family background was part of his legacy too; his brother, Michel López Núñez, won a bronze medal in boxing at the 2004 Athens Olympics.
Legacy and Records
López’s professional achievement is record-breaking. He was the first and only Olympic athlete in the history of the Olympics to achieve five consecutive gold medals in the same sport. Aside from his victories at the Olympics, he also won five World Championship gold medals, three gold medals from the World Wrestling Championships, five gold medals from the Pan American Games, and nine gold medals from the Pan American Wrestling Championships.
In total, his tally of 30 gold medals abroad in the Olympics, World Championships, World Cup, Pan American Games, and continental championships makes him the best Greco-Roman wrestler of all time.
Before López, the sport had one undisputed icon in Russian legend Aleksandr Karelin, with three Olympic golds and nine world championships. López’s record five Olympic wins placed him in a class by himself, setting him on top of wrestling history.
Mijaín López’s retirement after the 2024 Paris Olympics marked the closing chapter of the gold era in wrestling. His life showed that with determination, diligent efforts, and discipline, the impossible can be achieved. For generations to come, López will always be a source of inspiration a reminder that age and limitations are just hurdles to those who lose hope.
