Olympic wrestling champion Lopez confirms comeback

By Emre Asikci

ISTANBUL (AA) - Mijain Lopez, the four-time Olympic Champion of Greek-Roman Wrestling will compete in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

"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.

Lopez, who has not wrestled since the Summer Olympics aims to become the first athlete to win the same individual Olympic event five times.

The 40-year-old bagged the gold medal in 2008 Beijing, 2012 London, 2016 Rio de Janeiro and 2020 Tokyo.

In the Tokyo Olympics, he joined Japan's Kaori Icho as the only wrestler to claim four Olympic golds.

The Cuban wrestler also became the fifth person to bag the same individual Olympic event four times after swimmer Michael Phelps, track-and-field athlete Carl Lewis, discus thrower Al Oerter and sailor Paul Elvstrom.