BTN News: Mijaín López is a famous wrestler from a small rural town in western Cuba called Herradura. As a boy, López built his strength by working in the fields. This hard work helped him develop the muscles and determination that would make him a champion. Now, he is getting ready to compete in Paris 2024. If he wins, he will make history with his fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal.
Herradura is a humble town with old houses and dusty streets. It is a special place for López. “Herradura was where I was born and raised, and many people there still remember me running barefoot through the streets,” López told AFP in March. He was thinking about his roots as he prepared for Paris.
At 41, López is proud of his achievements and the love he gets from his community. He remembers his early years spent in the mountains around Herradura. There, he built his muscles by chasing animals and carrying crates of fruits and vegetables. This is also where he started wrestling. Even before a coach discovered his talent when he was eight years old, López was already wrestling with the local kids.
“On the ground, we would wrestle,” López recalls, “and my father would have me fight with all the neighbor’s children.” His early experience in wrestling, along with encouragement from his brothers Misael and Michel, set him on the path to success. His brothers did rowing and boxing, but López found his passion in wrestling. He liked using his strength without needing to punch, which he never enjoyed.
López’s journey was not always easy. When he was 13, he broke his leg badly. His father, Bartolo López, told him to stop wrestling. “Mijaín cried and protested,” his mother, Leonor Núñez, remembers, “and eventually Bartolo changed his mind.” López recovered and competed in school games in Colombia, where he won two gold and two silver medals. By 17, he was on the Cuban national team and started building his legendary career.
In Tokyo 2020, López joined a select group of athletes who have won four consecutive Olympic titles in the same sport. Now, he wants to end his amazing career with a fifth gold medal in Paris. His mother, speaking from their home with a large poster of López in his wrestling outfit, is confident: “The fifth medal is coming.”
Herradura, with about 11,000 residents, is excited and proud. Michel López, who won a bronze medal in boxing at Athens 2004, says that everyone in Herradura loves and respects his brother. “The people here love and respect him,” Michel says, sure that Mijaín will keep his promise to win another gold.
López has an incredible Olympic record, with 18 wins and only one loss. In Tokyo, no wrestler could even score a point against him. Although he now lives in Havana, López often visits Herradura. He believes that his hometown gives him strength. “He provides the body, but we provide the mind,” his mother says, explaining that the support from Herradura helps him succeed.
The local government is already planning a celebration for López’s expected win. “El Tronco,” a small restaurant where López often meets his friends, will be the center of the festivities. Neighbor Maribel Corrales, a 68-year-old homemaker, sums up how the town feels: “He is more than a champion; he is a super champion, and we will achieve the fifth medal.”
Mijaín López’s journey from a rural Cuban town to the world stage at the Olympics shows his incredible dedication and strength. As he gets ready for Paris 2024, people everywhere are watching, eager to see what this amazing athlete will do next.
