Seoul Gazette - In Cuba, wrestler Lopez's hometown cheers historic Olympic gold

"How amazing!" his mother Leonor Nunez said, bursting into tears when her son defeated Chile's Yasmani Acosta in the 130kg Greco-Roman final.

"I was expecting it because all of Herradura was waiting for that medal," the 66-year-old said after gathering her emotions.

Cheers and applause erupted after the match at the watching party in the small mountain-ringed town, made up of humble homes and dusty streets, 140 kilometers (87 miles) from the capital Havana.

It is here that Mijain, who turns 42 in two weeks, honed his prodigious physique working in the fields during his childhood.

He was discovered by a wrestling coach at eight-years-old and joined the Cuban team at 17.

On Tuesday, he beat the likes of sprinter Carl Lewis and swimmers Michael Phelps and Katie Ledecky to become the only person to win individual gold medals in five consecutive Olympic Games.

- 'He has to win' -

A Cuban flag flutters from the antenna on the roof of his home, where some 100 people gathered to watch the fight in the courtyard.

Nunez told AFP that she spoke to her son on Monday night before the fight to advise him, as she had for every major duel of his career.

"I told him that they are both Cuban, but that Yasmani represents Chile. They have been lifelong friends, so he should apologize off the mat, but on the mat, he has to win," she said firmly.

The excitement was palpable in Herradura in the lead-up to the fight, with his family waiting from early in the day under a thatched-roof structure decorated with a huge poster of Lopez.

Aldo Moreno, a 52-year-old rice farmer, left his plot to enjoy the moment with his neighbors.

"Today he takes the fifth, that victory goes to Herradura. It is a sporting glory," said an emotional Moreno, who has known the wrestler since he was a child.

He recalls Lopez promising in 2023 that "he will dedicate that fight to his deceased father."

The fighter's mother ordered a candle to be lit for her husband Bartolo Lopez, whose photograph was placed on an altar to accompany them on the crucial day.

"It is a great honor that he is a son of this town," said Hilario Hernandez, 64, who wandered over on horseback to take part in the event, in the town of about 10,000 inhabitants.

Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel also congratulated the five-time Olympic champion.

"Thank you Mijain, for your loyalty, your talent, your dedication. Thank you for the gold of your heart as a Cuban warrior," the president wrote on X.

- 'My idol' -

When, just shy of his 39th birthday, the Cuban giant overcame the Georgian Iakobi Kajaia in the 130kg competition in the Covid-delayed Tokyo Games three years ago, it was widely expected to be his swansong.

He had not competed since and had to fight to get his weight below the required 130kg.

"He's my idol, my friend and my rival too. So I'm going to enjoy this fight a lot," said his Paris rival, Yasmani Acosta, 36, who was born in Cuba, in the run-up to the fight.

Acosta fled the communist island nation while in Chile in 2015 after a tournament with the Cuban squad. Four years later he told journalists that it was the most difficult decision of his life.

He had to work as a security guard in nightclubs, until he was given Chilean nationality and allowed to compete for the country.

A.Uhm--SG