Cuba's wrestling legend Mijaín López aims to break Olympic record at Paris 2024

Cuba's wrestling legend Mijaín López is poised to make even more history in his sport.

The 40-year-old is already part of an exclusive club that includes only Americans Michael Phelps (swimming), Carl Lewis (long jump), Alfred Oerter (discus throw), and Denmark’s Paul Elvstrøm (sailing). They are the only male athletes to have won individual gold medals in the same individual event at four consecutive Olympic Games.

López is now set to make his international return to competitions, two years after securing the title in the men's 130 kg (286-pound) Greco-Roman category at Tokyo 2020.

"I am coming back to wrestle at the Paris Olympic Games. I want to become the first wrestler to win five Olympic gold medals,” López announced as reported by United World Wrestling.

Dubbed 'El Terrible’, the four-time Olympic champion is currently in Croatia with the Cuban national wrestling team, where he will start his preparation for Paris 2024.
 
If the five-time world champion manages to secure a medal at the Olympic Games in Paris, he will become the oldest wrestler ever to win an Olympic medal. The current record is held by Adolf Lundfors of Finland, who achieved this feat at the age of 41 years, six months, and 12 days.

However, before López can aim for this milestone, he needs to be selected by the national coach.

Currently, 29-year-old Oscar Pino holds the starting position for Cuba in the 130kg Greco-Roman wrestling category. Pino has previously won one silver medal and two bronze medals at the World Championships between 2017 and 2019, and he will also compete for Cuba at the 2023 World Championships in Belgrade, Serbia.

If Mijaín López is chosen to represent his home country in August next year, he will be just two weeks shy of turning 42 years old.