Paris 2024: Wrestler Lopez makes history with fifth gold medal

Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez became the first athlete to win five consecutive individual Olympic gold medals in the same event with victory in the 130kg Greco-Roman category.

Lopez, who turns 42 in two weeks, defeated Chile’s Yasmani Acosta to take the record outright.

He previously held the title jointly with four-time successive winners Carl Lewis (athletics/long jump), Michael Phelps (swimming/200m medley), Katie Ledecky (swimming/800m freestyle), Al Oerter (athletics/discus), Paul Elvstrom (sailing) and Kaori Icho (wrestling).

Having come out of retirement after a three-year absence from the mat, Lopez beat world champion Amin Mirzazadeh in the quarter-finals before beating the Cuban-born Acosta.

He has lost just one of his 23 contests at the Olympics, in the quarter-finals of the 2004 Athens Games.

The United States’ Amit Elor won gold in the women’s freestyle 68kg event, beating Meerim Zhumanazarova of Kyrgyzstan. (BBC)