In the rural Cuban town of Herradura, a throng of family and friends took the day off work Tuesday to witness Mijain Lopez make Olympic history with his fifth consecutive gold medal.
"It's incredible!" exclaimed his mother, Leonor Nunez, as she wept with joy after her son triumphed over Chile's Yasmani Acosta in the 130 kg. Greco-Roman final.
"I was expecting it because all of Herradura was waiting for that medal," the 66-year-old said after composing herself.
Cheers and applause erupted after the match at a viewing party in the small mountain-ringed town, which features 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 while working in the fields during his childhood.
He was discovered by a wrestling coach at age 8 and joined the Cuban team at 17.
On Tuesday, he surpassed the achievements 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 about 100 people gathered to watch the match in the courtyard.
Nunez told Agence France-Presse (AFP) she spoke to her son Monday night before the fight to give him advice, as she had for every major bout of his career.
"I told him that they are both Cuban, but 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 leading up to the fight, with his family waiting from early in the day under a thatched-roof structure decorated with a large 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 this crucial day.
"It is a great honor that he is a son of this town," said Hilario Hernandez, 64, who rode over on horseback to join the celebration 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 defeated Georgian Iakobi Kajaia in the 130kg competition at the COVID-delayed Tokyo Games three years ago, it was widely expected to be his swan song.
He had not competed since and had to work 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, ahead of the bout.
Acosta fled the communist island nation while in Chile in 2015 after a tournament with the Cuban squad. Four years later, he told journalists it was the most difficult decision of his life.
He had to work as a security guard in nightclubs until he was granted Chilean nationality and allowed to compete for the country.