Cuban wrestler Mijain Lopez won his third consecutive Olympic title in Greco-Roman’s heaviest weight class after defeating longtime rival Riza Kayaalp of Turkey in the 130kg Gold Medal Match.
Lopez got the scoring started early, hitting a four-point throw about 15 seconds into the match. The bout got chippy late, with Kayaalp connecting with Lopez’s head after the whistle blew. Kayaalp’s move briefly awarded two penalty points to Lopez, which would have given him an 8-0 victory by technical superiority, but the points were taken off the board. The match resumed with less than a minute to go, and Lopez ultimately emerged with a 6-0 win.
Lopez is just the third wrestler to win three Olympic gold medals in the Greco-Roman style. He joins legendary Soviet/Russian wrestler Aleksandr Karelin as the two only to win all three Greco golds consecutively.
Furthermore, Lopez’s win moves him into a tie for most all-time Olympic wrestling gold medals across all disciplines, although the mark could be broken by Japanese wrestlers Kaori Icho and Saori Yoshida in just a few days. Including freestyle, only eight other wrestlers have won three Olympic titles.
130kg Greco-Roman quarterfinals
Kayaalp (TUR) wins by fall (1:03) vs. Shariati (AZE)
Popp (GER) wins 3-1 vs. Babajanzadeh (IRI)
Lopez (CUB) wins 4-0 vs. Euren (SWE)
Semenov (RUS) wins 5-0 vs. Kajaia (GEO)
130kg Greco-Roman semifinals
Kayaalp (TUR) wins by tech fall 8-0 vs. Popp (GER)
Lopez (CUB) wins 3-0 vs. Semenov (RUS)
130kg Greco-Roman repechage
Shariati (AZE) wins by tech fall 8-0 vs. Caraballo (VEN)
Nabi (EST) wins 3-0 vs. Euren (SWE)
130kg Greco-Roman Bronze Medal Matches
Shariati (AZE) wins by fall (1:47) vs. Popp (GER)
Semenov (RUS) wins 6-0 vs. Nabi (EST)
130kg Greco-Roman Gold Medal Match
Lopez (CUB) wins 6-0 vs. Kayaalp (TUR)