Makhachev and Cejudo Celebrate López’s Fifth Gold
At Paris 2024, Cuban heavyweight wrestler Mijaín López defeated Chile’s Yasmani Acosta in the Greco-Roman 130-kilogram final to win his fifth consecutive Olympic gold medal in the same event. He signaled his retirement afterward.
López made Olympic wrestling history
López, then 41, defeated Chile’s Yasmani Acosta 6-0 in the men’s Greco-Roman 130-kilogram final on August 6, 2024. The win made him the first athlete to capture five Olympic gold medals in the same individual event, across five consecutive Games. United World Wrestling’s report records the final score and the scale of the achievement.
After the final, López removed his wrestling shoes and left them in the center of the mat, the traditional signal that a wrestler is retiring. He had already won gold in Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo. His Paris victory came after he had gone three years without competing, making the fifth title an extraordinary finish to a career spanning six Olympic appearances.
A farewell that matched the record
The final was also personal: Acosta, who represented Chile, was López’s former Cuban training partner. López later described Paris as the joyful conclusion to his run of five golds. In a 2025 interview, Olympics.com looked back with him on the victory and life after competition.
López’s retirement has stood since Paris. The moment resonated well beyond wrestling because it brought together athletes from different combat sports, but the record belongs to López: five consecutive Olympic titles in one event, capped by a 6-0 final win and a farewell on the mat.
