RIO DE JANEIRO, BRAZIL – The “Giant of Herradura” – his nickname because of his tall stature and the town where he grew up – is eagerly preparing to win at the Games, certain that he will go down in sports history if he wins a 4th gold medal in a competition at this level.
He does not hesitate to say that he is “ready” and states that he feels “very confident” in achieving “the result that all the people of Cuba expect from me.”
PREPARATION FOR TOKYO
“We are ready and right now I feel psychologically well,” the athlete assures.
But he recognizes that he struggled with “his weight”, a negative trend that has been with him in his 27-year sports career. Lopez explains that his problem with body weight is not that he overeats, but something congenital: “My normal weight is 140 kilograms (308 lbs) and I compete in the 130 kg category.”
As a result, he says that he must keep a strict diet and rigorously comply with training to stay in the shape required by the competition system. “You must be within weight to be able to compete.”
HIS DIET
It basically consists of eliminating bread and sweets, limiting cereals and legumes and eating more vegetables along with protein-rich foods.
These restrictions are “a challenge in Cuba,” according to Mijaín López, “because it breaks with the Cuban tradition of eating arroz congrí (rice with black beans) and pork.” However, the multi-champion Cuban wrestler says he is willing to make sacrifices and be disciplined for “the goal to be achieved.”
RIVALS
“To me, they are all rivals. When you wrestle in competitions, everyone there has a goal: to win a medal, wrestle for their country and achieve the result they set for themselves,” he reflects.
Lopez mentions the case of Turkish athlete Riza Kayaalp, also competing in the Games for the 4th time, as well as other competitors who have been training and “we must watch out for them too.”
That’s why he prioritizes discipline: “That’s what’s essential and that’s what has always made me a champion. I’ve never looked at my opponents.”
DECISION TO RETIRE
Although not yet entirely sure, he admits to having said with certainty that he decided to retire after Tokyo 2020.
“I’m going to retire but it won’t be an official retirement, but rather one that allows me four more years in the sport, maybe I feel good enough to keep wrestling,” a decision he’ll make after the Games, he says.
“It’s something that my body is asking me to do, my age (38 years old) demands it. But I want to continue to contribute everything I can to either continue myself or help others,” he says.
“We never retire from the sport (…), there are young men doing well, we must give them an opportunity,” he says.
MIJAÍN HAS A SUCCESSOR
Among the names waiting to replace him is fellow Cuban Oscar Pino, 27 years old, winner of 2 bronze and a silver medal in the world championships, and Pan American runner-up.
“He has great talent and has been performing in all competitions with good rankings. I think we have achieved all that through our joint training. It’s very good for me and for him. I’m helping him get on track to achieve his big goal,” he explains.
He recalls that in Cuba since the 80s and 90s when an athlete retires there is another to give continuity and with satisfactory results. “I have left him (Oscar Pino) a very big task, he has to fight to try and break the record I will leave and dedicate himself with discipline,” he stressed.
Lopez said he is “very happy” that Pino is his successor, as he believes he is a “worthy” continuation in the heavyweights.
He said that it was Pino who qualified him for the world championship this year and gave him “the ticket,” and he is grateful for the gesture.
FUTURE PROJECTION
“If everything goes as I hope at this moment, after the Olympics I will celebrate with my people and my family,” he says and reaffirms that another title in the Japanese capital would be something “historic” for him.
“No human being is prepared to win a 4th Olympic gold medal, something that no one in the world has been able to achieve so far,” he says with emotion.
He says he still has time, because he is still young and although he finished his Bachelor’s Degree in Sports, he is still studying: “now I’m going for my Master’s Degree.”
“After the Olympic Games I will think about Mijaín’s future”, he adds and says that one of his plans is to continue training in the German professional leagues, which will help him to gradually retire.
Mijaín has competed in the German wrestling league and has also trained in Italy.
As for the differences between official competitions and professional leagues, he considers that the rules are “the same,” only that the former “create more tension because you go for medals” and with the clubs “you fight almost every weekend.”
MOMENTS THAT HAVE MARKED HIM
“They all have,” although he especially remembers when he won his first Olympic medal in Beijing 2008 and the final in which he beat Turkish Riza Kayaalp 6-0 in Rio de Janeiro 2016.
“He is a rival. I never thought I was going to beat him so easily, it was amazing, it’s a source of pride for me and for my coaches,” he stressed.
Something in particular that he describes as “historic, great” was his first gold at the world championship in Hungary in 2005, which confirmed that “Mijaín was already in the history of wrestling.”
HIS COACHES
Currently, his personal coach is Raúl Trujillo, and he recalls Sergio Sosa – in his early days when he was still a child – followed by Luis Forcedo, Juan Carlos Linares and Pedro Val, the architect of his first medal.
He is “very proud” of all of them for having contributed to his results.
“They are part of our family, they are like our parents, we spend more time with them than with our family. They demand discipline and dedication from us. That is something that has helped me to be a disciplined, hard-working and mature athlete,” he says.