SI:AM | One of the Greatest Olympians Ever Says Goodbye

Cuba’s Mijaín López did what no Olympic athlete in history has done.

López retired Tuesday after winning his fifth Olympic gold medal. / Sarah Phipps-USA TODAY Sports

Good morning, I’m Dan Gartland. I had a lot of fun talking to U.S. rugby bronze medalist Alev Kelter along with my podcast cohost Mitch Goldich. You can watch our interview on YouTube here.

In today’s SI:AM:

🇨🇺 Wrestling’s GOAT
🇺🇸 An American wrestling phenom
👨‍⚖️ Aaron Judge’s preposterous season

A GOAT goes out on top

American sports fans might not know the name Mijaín López, but they should.

On Tuesday, López, of Cuba, became the first athlete in Olympic history to win a gold medal at five straight Games, beating Chile’s Yasmani Acosta in the 130kg Greco-Roman wrestling final to also become the first wrestler in Olympic history to win five golds.

López, 41, was already among the greatest Olympians in history, and his win on Tuesday only strengthened his incredible résumé. By winning his fifth straight gold, López accomplished something that not even Michael Phelps had. When López won in Tokyo, he became the first male wrestler in history with four gold medals. Now, he’s in a category all by himself.

What makes López’s remarkable streak even more impressive is that it came in a sport that uses a single-elimination tournament to crown its champions. That means he’s undefeated (20–0) in Olympic competition since 2008. But that’s not all. López hasn’t just won every Olympic match in the past 16 years, they haven’t even been particularly close. He’s out-scored his opponents 98–5 during that streak. That includes a stretch of three straight Games (London, Rio and Tokyo) in which López did not surrender a single point.

López will turn 42 in two weeks, so this was always intended to be his Olympic farewell. After the match he confirmed his retirement with one of the most famous gestures in sports, leaving his shoes in the center of the mat before he walked off.

Mijain Lopez, 41 years old, wins fifth consecutive Olympic gold in wrestling then retires by leaving shoes on the mat. Legend. pic.twitter.com/2WP8fba0lr

— Dan Wetzel (@DanWetzel) August 6, 2024

“It was time to say goodbye at the mat,” López told reporters after the win. “What better opportunity is there for me to be here at a final match, to be able to fight with a fellow brother, and to win at an Olympic Games? There is no better way to say goodbye at the Olympic Games than to leave the door open for the next generation.”

The Paris Games were López’s sixth Olympics. He made his debut at the 2004 Games in Athens, losing in the quarterfinals, before beginning his historic streak in Beijing four years later. He’s been on top of the sport for so long that Acosta, his opponent in Tuesday’s final, was forced to change his allegiance to Chile. Acosta was born in Cuba and initially represented the country internationally, but he was blocked from earning a spot on the Olympic team because each country only sends one wrestler per weight class and López was blocking him.

“He is the best in the world,” Acosta said before the Games. “In Cuba, I was always behind him. I trained with him every day for nine years. I really appreciate him. But you have to understand the circumstances. I cried watching the Olympics, because I saw that there were many (athletes) whom I have already beaten. I left Cuba to achieve a dream. When someone leaves something to follow a dream he's not a defector. I love Cuba so much, as well as Chile.”

But Acosta harbors no ill will toward López.

“He’s a rival, but also a friend,” Acosta said after Tuesday’s match. “We have known each other for a long time now. We did the trials together for this year’s Olympic Games. He has been giving me advice in every phase, so he’s everything—a rival, a friend, he’s a brother.”

López’s win cements his status as not just one of the greatest wrestlers ever but one of the greatest athletes in any sport. Plenty of athletes have racked up more total medals than López’s five, but no one has been on top of their sport for as long as he has. The list of athletes with four gold medals in the same event is a short one—just six names long. It includes legends like Carl Lewis, Katie Ledecky and Phelps. López now stands above them all.

Judge is once again running away with the home run crown. / Erick W. Rasco/Sports Illustrated

The best of Sports Illustrated

• Today’s Digital Cover is Tom Verducci’s examination of how Aaron Judge has somehow been better than ever this season.

• Here is what Mitch Goldich is watching Wednesday at the Olympics.

• With rhythmic gymnastics set to begin on Thursday, Lauren Green spoke with Evita Griskenas, the only American to qualify, to break down everything you need to know about the sport.

• With the swimming completed, Pat Forde took in some wrestling on Tuesday and saw 20-year-old American wrestler Amit Elor extend her undefeated streak and win her first gold medal.

• Michael Rosenberg was at the track on Tuesday, where American Cole Hocker pulled off a major upset in the 1,500 meters.

• Michael Rosenberg also wrote about the U.S. Center for SafeSport and why it should receive support from the USOPC to continue doing the important work it does.

• Clare Brennan broke down the U.S. women’s soccer team’s taut semifinal win over Germany.

• Greg Bishop was blown away by what he saw in the women’s skateboarding park competition.

• Albert Breer went to Browns camp, where the focus was understandably on Deshaun Watson and the offense.

The top five…

… things I saw yesterday:

5. Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone’s dominant win in the women’s 400m hurdles semifinals.
4. Lebron James’s alley-oop to Jayson Tatum.
3. 17-year-old Quan Hongchan’s gold-medal winning dive in the women’s 10m platform.
2. American Sam Watson’s world record in speed climbing.
1. American Cole Hocker’s strong finish to pull off a major upset in the men’s 1,500m.