Mijaín López facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Mijaín López

López (left) at the 2009 World Championships
Personal information
Full name	Mijaín López Núñez
Nickname(s)	The Kid, El Terrible, The Giant of Herradura
Born	(1982-08-20) 20 August 1982 (age 42) Entronque de Herradura, Cuba
Height	1.96 m (6 ft 5 in)
Weight	131.5 kg (290 lb)
Sport
Country	Cuba
Sport	Wrestling
Event(s)	Greco-Roman
Club	Cerro Pelado
Coached by	Pedro Val
Medal record Men's Greco-Roman wrestling Representing  Cuba Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 5 0 0 World Championship 5 3 0 World Cup 3 0 0 World University Championship 1 0 0 Pan American Games 5 0 0 Central American and Caribbean Games 3 0 0 Pan American Championship 9 1 0 Grand Prix Ivan Poddubny 0 0 1 Junior Pan American Wrestling Championship 2 0 0 Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing 120 kg Gold 2012 London 120 kg Gold 2016 Rio de Janeiro 130 kg Gold 2020 Tokyo 130 kg Gold 2024 Paris 130 kg World Championships Gold 2005 Budapest 120 kg Gold 2007 Baku 120 kg Gold 2009 Herning 120 kg Gold 2010 Moscow 120 kg Gold 2014 Tashkent 130 kg Silver 2006 Guangzhou 120 kg Silver 2011 Istanbul 120 kg Silver 2015 Las Vegas 130 kg World Cup Gold 2005 Tehran 120 kg Gold 2006 Budapest 120 kg Gold 2009 Clermont-Ferrand 120 kg World University Championships Gold 2005 Izmir 120 kg Pan American Games Gold 2003 Santo Domingo 120 kg Gold 2007 Rio de Janeiro 120 kg Gold 2011 Guadalajara 120 kg Gold 2015 Toronto 130 kg Gold 2019 Lima 130 kg Central American and Caribbean Games Gold 2014 San Juan 130 kg Gold 2014 Veracruz 130 kg Gold 2018 Barranquilla 130 kg Pan American Championships Gold 2002 Maracaibo 120 kg Gold 2004 Guatemala City 120 kg Gold 2005 Guatemala City 120 kg Gold 2006 Rio de Janeiro 120 kg Gold 2007 San Salvador 120 kg Gold 2008 Colorado Springs 120 kg Gold 2009 Maracaibo 120 kg Gold 2012 Colorado Springs 120 kg Gold 2014 Mexico City 130 kg Silver 2003 Guatemala City 120 kg Junior Pan American Championships Gold 2002 Bogota 120 kg Men's Freestyle Wrestling Junior Pan American Championships Gold 2002 Bogota 120 kg

Mijaín López Núñez (born 20 August 1982) is a Cuban retired Greco-Roman wrestler. Widely considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, López is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time World Champion, and five-time Pan American Games champion. He is the younger brother of Michel López Núñez, a Cuban amateur boxer. On 3 July 2024, he and the Cuban judoka Idalys Ortíz were designated as the flag bearers for Paris 2024 Olympic Games.

Upon beating Yasmani Acosta of Chile in the 2024 Olympic Greco-Roman wrestling 130 kg final, López became the first and only athlete in modern Olympics history to win five consecutive gold medals in the same individual event.

Career

López has represented Cuba at the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics in Athens, Beijing, and London, and was his country's flag bearer during the opening ceremonies in 2008 and 2012. In both competitions, he won the gold medal in the men's Greco-Roman 120 kg category. At the 2016 Rio Games, López won Gold in the 130 kg category. He again won gold at the 2020 Tokyo Games without losing a single point in the tournament, becoming the first male wrestler to win four Olympic gold medals, as well as only the fifth athlete to win four gold medals in the same individual event. During the opening ceremony of the same Olympics, he also became the first Cuban representative to become the country’s flag bearer four times, breaking the tie between Teófilo Stevenson and himself.

At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, López won his fifth gold medal, becoming the first Olympic athlete in any sport to win five gold medals in the same individual event. He subsequently left his wrestling shoes in the center of the mat after his victory, signifying his retirement from the sport.

International competition record

• In the 2004 Olympics he placed fifth in the 120 kg weight class in Athens.
• In the 2008 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 24-3 in the 120 kg weight class in Beijing.
• In the 2012 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 14-0 in the 120 kg weight class in London.
• In the 2016 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 16-0 in the 130 kg weight class in Rio de Janeiro.
• In the 2020 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 24-0 in the 130 kg weight class in Tokyo.
• In the 2024 Olympics he won the gold medal, outscoring his opponents 20-2 in the 130 kg weight class in Paris.

See also

In Spanish: Mijaín López Núñez para niños

• List of multiple Olympic gold medalists in one event