#WrestleParis

Lopez announces comeback, eyes historic fifth Olympic gold

Thursday, May 25, 2023 - 11:02 By Eric Olanowski

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POREC, Croatia (May 23) -- The rumors are in the rearview and it’s official.

Mijain LOPEZ (CUB), the Beijing, London, Rio de Janeiro and Tokyo Olympic champion, officially announced his return to wrestling to chase a record-setting fifth Olympic gold medal.

The Cuban superheavy is widely regarded as the Greatest of all Time, but he’s not interested in sharing a page in the history books with anyone else. He wants all the glory for himself.

"I’m coming back to wrestle at the Paris Olympic Games. I want to become the first wrestler to win five Olympic gold medals,” Lopez told United World Wrestling on Monday night.

Lopez, flanked by fellow Tokyo Olympic champions Luis ORTA (CUB) and Zhan BELENIUK (UKR), made the announcement from the international training camp in Poreč, Croatia, where he’s beginning his Paris preparations.

Lopez, who’ll be 41 years old this August, hung up his wrestling boots shortly after he won his fourth Olympic gold medal. But “The Kid” has since rekindled his desire to stand alone in wrestling history. He’s currently tied with Kaori ICHO (JPN) (who officially retired in 2020) as the only pair of wrestlers to win four Olympic titles.

A win for Lopez in Paris would also move him into the top spot as wrestling’s oldest Olympic champion -- dethroning Adolf LINDFORS (FIN) (41 years 6 months 12 days), Arsen MEKOKISHVILI (URS) (40 years 3 months 11 days) and Icho (32 years 2 months 4 days) --who hold the Greco-Roman, freestyle and women’s wrestling records, respectively.

The Cuban Giant will wrestle on August 6 at the 2024 Olympic Games and will be two weeks shy of his 42nd birthday, which would beat Lindfors’ record by nearly six months.

Lopez’s attention now turns to getting his massive body back down to the Olympic weight of 130kg/286 lbs.

“Right now, he has to focus on getting his weight under control, but I don’t think that’ll be a problem,” a source close to Lopez said. “He currently weighs 145kg/319 lbs. That seems like a big weight cut, but his body was in the same position heading into the Tokyo Olympics and he outscored everyone 24-0.”

For the time being, as Lopez gets his weight under control, Oscar PINO (CUB) will remain Cuba’s 130kg Greco-Roman starter.

Pino will compete at the 2023 World Championships, where he’ll have to qualify Cuba for the 2024 Olympic Games -- similar to the 2019 World Championships where he qualified for the Tokyo Olympic Games with his runner-up finish. He’ll again relinquish his spot and take a seat on the bench as Lopez chases Olympic history.

To access real-time match center data, get regular updates on tournaments and receive all the latest wrestling news in a flash. download #TheHomeOfWrestling, United World Wrestling's mobile app today on Apple Itunes or Google Play.

#WrestleBucharest

Nasibov hopes to build on golden start in Olympic year

Thursday, February 1, 2024 - 20:21 By Vinay Siwach

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BUCHAREST, Romania (February 1) -- Parviz NASIBOV (UKR) was never under the spotlight. Not until he reached the final of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021 and won a silver medal.

For Tokyo, he qualified at the World Olympic Qualifier in Sofia, the last of the qualifiers and the only chance he got. But as he prepares to qualify for the Paris Olympics, Nasibov is on the radar of his opponents.

He lost in the first round of the World Championships last year and is yet to win a UWW tournament. But in the season-opening Ranking Series Zagreb Open, Nasibov seemed to find his form and gear up for the Olympic year.

Wrestling in Zagreb, Nasibov won gold in 67kg after beating world silver medalist Hasrat JAFAROV (AZE) in the semifinal and Gagik SNJOYAN (FRA) in the final.

"It’s important for me to try myself [in such tournaments] before the important one," Nasibov said. "I think this Ranking series event is more or less similar to the World championships level, because most of the leaders were present here in our weight class."

In a 34-wrestler bracket, Nasibov got past 2023 Zagreb Open champion HUSIYUETU (CHN), Lei LI (CHN) and U20 world champion Moustafa ALAMELDIN (EGY) before beating Jafarov and Snjoyan. Nasibov later said that he expected Jafarov to come out strong in the semifinal.

"We have done research on that athlete together with the coaches," he said. "That’s why I got everything I had expected from him. He is a good guy, he is young and prospective."

Nasibov also hoped to face world champion Luis ORTA (CUB) in Zagreb but Orta pulled out of the competition. Orta won the 67kg world title in Belgrade, completing a successful switch from 60kg, a weight class in which he won the gold medal in Tokyo.

"Orta is a very good opponent. I met his at the training camp," Nasibov said. "But you know we are wrestling at such a high level that we are all pretty much similar. The one who thinks better and stays calmer will win. That’s why, I respect him a lot and can’t wait to meet him."

Nasibov has got a golden start to the season and would like to continue that at the European Championships in Bucharest, Romania from February 12 to 19. He will hope to win his first European title at 72kg as he is entered in the non-Olympic weight class. And later the qualifying event in Baku in April.

"At the 2023 European Championships I was the third," he said. "The qualifying world championships was unsuccessful for me. I lost my first match. The main event is ahead. I need a quota for Paris Olympic Games, I will do my best to get it and repeat my Tokyo result and maybe even improve. I believe in it and I do my best to be there."