Few outside Cuba or the wrestling world would have heard of Mijain Lopez, but on Aug 6, the 41-year-old staked his claim as the greatest Olympian of all time as he beat Chile's Yasmani Acosta 6-0 in the 130kg Greco-Roman final.
Other than the Cuban, only six other athletes, including American swimming greats Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky, have won four straight Olympic golds in the same individual event. Meanwhile, American basketballers Sue Bird and Diana Taurasi won five consecutive women's team golds from Athens 2004 to Tokyo 2020.
But at the temporary facility at Champ de Mars, Lopez surpassed them all with his individual fivepeat to cement his legacy.
The 1.98m man mountain finished fifth in his Olympic debut at Athens 2004, but has not been beaten in 20 bouts at the Summer Games since.
Asked to describe each of his Olympic triumphs, Lopez said: "Beijing youth, London - transcendence, Rio - effort, Tokyo sacrifice, Paris - joy.
"What's great is the joy. This was a result that I was craving, but also for the whole world and my country.
The reward of a lifetime of working hard with the help of everyone and my family. It is my biggest win.
Denne historien er fra August 08, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent ? Logg på
Denne historien er fra August 08, 2024-utgaven av The Straits Times.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
Allerede abonnent? Logg på
Mbappe could be stripped of captaincy
PARIS France captain Kylian Mbappe is facing criticism in his home country for skipping Les Bleus' Nations League games against Israel and Belgium while being available to play for his club Real Madrid.
STEWING OVER 'WORST' DEFEAT
Spurs boss slams unacceptable second half’ at Brighton, conceding thrice in 18 minutes
CHRISTIAN IS ROOKIE CHAMP
S’pore driver heads to Eurocup-3’s final round with chance of being overall winner
TENNIS STARS PICK 'SECOND FAMILY'
New coaching partnerships help top players refresh, improve their games
Scepticism over Chinese stocks remains despite world-beating rally
Global fund managers waiting for Beijing to back up stimulus pledges with real money
US scientists win Nobel Prize in medicine for work on microRNA
Duo lauded for discovering new principle of gene regulation for multicellular organisms
Hurricane Milton strengthening as it heads towards Florida
FLORIDA Hurricane Milton is intensifying on its path towards Florida possibly reaching Category 4 power and may spark the largest evacuation in seven years as it aims for the state's Gulf Coast and Tampa.
Trump on the stump, Harris hits airwaves with race on razor's edge
US presidential candidates scramble for votes in 7 swing states vital to poll victory
China military drills expected soon after Taiwan national day
China is likely to launch military drills this week near Taiwan, using Taiwan President Lai Ching-te's upcoming national day speech as a pretext to pressure the island to accept its sovereignty claims, Taiwanese officials say.
Gaza war deadliest conflict for journalists: Observers
Israel refutes claim by advocacy group that it directly targeted 32 media workers
