Mijain Lopez and Amit Elor Make Wrestling History at the 2024 Olympics

ByTimothy Wheaton Aug 7, 2024Aug 8, 2024

Mijain Lopez and Amit Elor

Mijain Lopez and Amit Elor just made Olympic history at the Paris 2024 Summer Games. The US-born Amit Elor at just 20-years-old is now the youngest American wrestler to earn a gold medal. Cuba’s Mijain Lopez earned a record-breaking fifth gold medal in the Olympics, a feat no one has ever been able to do.

The Cuban left his shoes on the mat and is now retiring from active competition. While the American athlete is just getting started.

Mijain Lopez

Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez made history by becoming the first athlete to win five consecutive individual Olympic gold medals in the same event. Competing in the 130kg Greco-Roman wrestling category, Lopez secured his fifth gold by defeating Chile’s Yasmani Acosta. He had previously won gold in Beijing 2008, London 2012, Rio 2016, and Tokyo 2020.

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With his fifth gold medal, Mijain Lopez has cemented himself as being the greatest wrestler in Olympic history. Now, he has retired.

Mijain Lopez

Amit Elor

Amit Elor, a 20-year-old wrestler from the USA achieved a historic milestone by becoming the youngest American wrestler to win an Olympic gold medal. Competing in the women’s freestyle 68-kilogram category, Elor defeated Kyrgyzstan’s Meerim Zhumanazarova with a decisive 3-0 victory in the final match. This win marked her 41st consecutive victory at the international level, dating back to 2019.

Amit Elor was coached by former Olympic medalist and UFC fighter Sara McMann. In an interview, Coach McMann said:

“I know she’s had a lot of different struggles when it comes to wrestling with some of her ups and downs, so the fact that she persisted and I got to look back and see that quality of human as the person who carries the torch for the sport I love and the country I love. I’m like a proud momma.”

After capturing the gold medal, Elor thanked her coach, adding:

“I’ve been through my highs and lows and I have to say Sara’s a big reason for me being successful today and for healing my relationship with wrestling and loving the journey and staying positive. She’s been such a great influence on me.”

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Timothy Wheaton

Timothy Wheaton is a combat sports writer who covers MMA, Kickboxing, and Muay Thai. He has been an avid follower of these sports since 2005. Tim has even covered the UFC, GLORY Kickboxing, and Bellator in person at live events.

With Low Kick MMA, Tim has contributed interviews, articles, and podcasts.

Tim also works with a host of other media sites such as Calf Kick Sports, Sportskeeda MMA, MMA Sucka, Vecht Sport Info, Fighters First, and Beyond Kickboxing. Tim is is the authority on kickboxing and MMA journalist who has covered K-1, PRIDE FC, UFC, GLORY Kickboxing, Bellator, ONE Championship, and plenty more.