Cuba’s Mijain Lopez became the first man to win four Olympic gold medals in wrestling by defeating Georgia’s Iakobi Kajaia 5-0 in the Greco-Roman 130-kilogram final.
The 38-year-old was unscored upon in his four matches. He joins Japan’s Kaori Icho as the only wrestlers to claim four Olympic golds. Icho won freestyle gold medals in 2004, 2008, 2012 and 2016. Lopez won gold at 120 kg in 2008 and 2012 and 130 kg in 2016 before his victory Monday.
Lopez got a point for passivity by Kajaia, then scored two points on a gut wrench. He scored another point on passivity and another on a step out to go up 5-0.
Lopez defeated Turkey’s Riza Kayaalp 2-0 in the semifinals Sunday in a rematch of the 2016 gold medal match.
Kayaalp won bronze by defeating Iran’s Amin Mirzazadeh 7-2. The Russian Olympic Committee’s Sergey Semenov won the other bronze, defeating Chile’s Yamani Acosta Fernandez.
It was Cuba’s second gold medal of the night in Greco-Roman. Luis Orta Sanchez defeated Japan’s Kenichiro Fumita 5-1 in the 60 kg final.
