Mijain Lopez: The Cuban kid chasing wrestling history aged 39 in Olympics

The last 40 years of Greco-Roman wrestling can be divided between the Mijain Lopez era and the Aleksandr Karelin era. The two giants are forever inked into wrestling history. But at the Olympics in Tokyo, Mijain Lopez, who has always labored in Karelin’s shadow, will have a chance to carve his own identity.

Karelin of the USSR and Russia enjoyed a seemingly untouchable reign as the king of Greco-Roman wrestling’s heavyweight division. From 1988 to 1999, he won nine straight World Championships and three straight Olympics.

Known as “The Experiment”, the Russian giant was seemingly hewn from stone. At 6ft 2inch, the 128 kgs of solid muscle was a legend. He was the most fearsome wrestler to ever walk on the mat.

Mijain Lopez, though a wrestling great in his own right with five world titles and three Olympic gold medals, has always been second to Karelin.

The Cuban, who himself towers at 6ft 4inches with a 130kg frame, can finally surpass his predecessor by winning his fourth Olympic medal. If he does so, he will be the first man and second wrestler across three styles to achieve such a feat Only Japan’s women grappler Kaori Icho (now retired) has claimed four Olympic titles.

Karelin era’s end and Mijain Lopez’s begins

Karelin’s era of dominance ended in 2000, and Lopez’s began in 2005. USA’s Rulon Gardner is the bridge between the two dynasties. The big American man is the only wrestler to stand tall in front of both G.O.A.T.’s at the Olympics.

Gardner pulled off an unimaginable upset at the Sydney Games 2000 to end the Russian juggernaut’s Olympic reign. Then, at the 2004 Athens Games, early in Lopez’s rise, the United States wrestler won bronze in the 120 kg weight category. The Cuban finished fifth.

Gardner, a two-time Olympic medalist, still remembers the first time he saw Lopez. And there was more to the Cuban than met the common eyes.

“I first saw him in the practice hall during the Gamma Cup in 2014 in Cuba. The thing that left me awestruck was his length, his arms were almost as wide as he was tall,” Rulon Garnder was quoted by UWW.

Lopez possesses a body perfectly suited to be a Greco Roman wrestler. With a towering figure and arms of such length, it is perfect to create intense leverage and lock arms around any opponent. Add to it, the brute strength with which he launches any adversaries in the air.

Incidentally, his fans and countrymen have given him an ironic nickname “The Kid” which is a humorous acknowledgement of his giant size.

But Mijain Lopez does not rely solely on his physical attributes. His skills and finesse in wrestling plays a huge role in the 39-year-old’s dominance.

However, even his almost perfect track record contains a couple of blemishes. In the World Championships finals of 2006 and 2011, the Cuban suffered shocking defeats and settled for silver.

However, he avenged both his losses brilliantly. He thrashed the defending Olympic champion Khassan Baroev (Russia) 6-1 at the Beijing Games and shut out 2011 world champion Riza Kayaalp (Turkey) 3-0 in the 2012 Olympic semi-finals and 2016 final.

Mijain Lopez and Riza Kayaalp

Mijain Lopez, who has chased the great Karelin throughout his wrestling career, now has a chance to finally come out of his shadow. He will enter unseeded and his biggest challenger will be Kayaalp. The Turkish wrestler will be the top seed in 130 kg.

The 31-year-old has himself built-up a resume that puts him amongst the Greco-Roman heavyweight greats. He is a four-time World Championship gold medalist and a three-time Olympic medalist. The only title that eludes him is an Olympic gold. His only losses at the Olympics have come against the Cuban.

It will be a chance for Kayaalp to avenge his defeats, while Mijain Lopez would like to have a perfect ending to his wrestling career. Whatever it may, the Olympics 130 kg will see the end of an era for Mijain Lopez, who has decided to retire after the Games.