The Greatest Olympian You’ve Never Heard Of: ‘El Terrible’ Sounds Like a Movie Monster
The text discusses the remarkable achievements of Cuban wrestler Mijaín López, nicknamed “El Terrible,” who retired after the 2024 Olympic Games. Standing at 6’5″ and weighing 290 pounds, López is celebrated for his exceptional career in amateur wrestling, particularly in the Greco-Roman style at the 130kg weight class. He has won five consecutive gold medals at the Olympics, a record for the longest streak in a single event, surpassing swimming legend Michael Phelps, who holds four consecutive gold medals in one event. Furthermore, López had an incredible dominance in his matches, having not given up a single point in over a decade prior to the Paris Games. His opponents have expressed admiration for his strength and speed, solidifying his status as a legendary figure in wrestling and marking him as one of the greatest Olympians of all time.
Turns out, monsters do exist.
You just don’t hear about them, because they populate the relatively unpopular sport of amateur wrestling (not to be confused with its much more popular “professional” counterpart).
And that’s a shame, because one of the greatest — if not the greatest — Olympian to ever partake in the historic games called it a career after the 2024 spectacle.
Cuba’s Mijaín López has earned the nickname “El Terrible,” and you don’t even need to see his body of work to understand why.
You just need to see his body. The gargantuan 41-year-old stands at 6-foot-5 and tips the scales at 290 pounds, according to The Wall Street Journal.
But when you observe the accolades and body of work as a whole?
There’s every reason to believe that López is just as accomplished as the most accomplished Olympian ever, U.S. swimmer Michael Phelps — who boasts an eye-watering 23 gold medals.
(That’s more than twice as many as anyone else.)
No, López has a relatively meager five gold medals on his résumé.
But that’s still good enough to make history.
As NBC Sports noted in a captivating video, López won his fifth straight gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 130kg weight class.
That streak of gold medals in a single event is the longest such streak of any Olympian, ever.
Phelps, who is just shy of that record with four straight gold medals in a single event, couldn’t believe it.
“To be able to do that, it’s unheard of,” Phelps told the Journal.
The decorated swimmer added: “There’s a reason why no one’s ever done it before.”
Yet somehow, this feat that “no one’s ever done” before almost pales in comparison to one of López’s most impressive fun facts (well, not so fun for his opponents).
WSJ chronicles: “To the people unfortunate enough to have stepped into the ring with López, the remarkable streak of medals is just the beginning of his legend.
“Forget losing a match or settling for silver—entering the Paris Games, it had been more than a decade since he’d so much as given up a single point at the Olympics.”
And in an oddly prescient note, the Journal added: “His last gold medal, in Tokyo, came when his final opponent chose to stop competing, standing to one side and letting López raise his arms in victory.”
Opponents had nothing but respect for López when the topic was broached.
“It’s like wrestling with a rock who is moving,” retired Lithuanian wrestler Mindaugas Mizgaitis told the Journal.
He’s also scary fast.
“You’re fighting, you’re fighting, you’re fighting, and then it’s like, ‘Where’d he go?’” American Robby Smith described.
A historic win streak, unheard of dominance (without any shenanigans), and the fact that López was basically retired when he decided to abruptly chase history? Those all lend to the legend of “El Terrible.”
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