Mijain Lopez celebrates his victory over Riza Kayaalp. Grace Hollars-USA TODAY Sports

Watch: Wrestler Mijain Lopez had moving gesture after beating rival

Originally posted on Larry Brown Sports | By Larry Brown | Last updated 8/2/21

Wrestler Mijain Lopez had a moving gesture for his rival Riza Kayaalp after winning a match between them at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo on Sunday.

Lopez, a three-time gold medal winner in the Olympics for the highest weight division in Greco-Roman wrestling, was facing Kayaalp in the semifinals of the Greco-Roman wrestling 130-kilogram weight class.

They engaged in a tough match that Lopez won 2-0 to advance to the final.

After the match, Lopez kissed Kayaalp on the top of his head.

Love these moments: Mijaín López, a Cuban Greco-Roman super heavyweight wrestler, after defeating longtime rival Rıza Kayaalp of Turkey in the semifinals. López is trying to join the short list of people to win the same individual Olympic event four times.:Kadir Caliskan/UWW pic.twitter.com/uHATaZBMI4

— Nick Zaccardi (@nzaccardi) August 2, 2021

#Tokyo2020 #wrestling

Mijain Lopez NunezRıza Kayaalp https://t.co/eMQgGdVk3o pic.twitter.com/7EceSH2TIB

— SuperHaber Spor (@superhaberspor) August 1, 2021

That is a nod to the level of respect between them.

Lopez and Riza Kayaalp have now met seven times, with Lopez leading 5-2. He has won all three of their matches at the Olympics, propelling him to gold in 2012 and 2016. Kayaalp has beaten Lopez twice at the World Championships, where he has won gold four times.

This level of love and respect for one’s sport, competition and opponent is what the Olympics are all about. We saw something similar in a UFC fight in June.

This article first appeared on Larry Brown Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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