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Cuba's Mijain Lopez eyes fourth Pan Am title

Xinhua, January 9, 2015 Adjust font size:

Cuba's five-time world wrestling champion Mijain Lopez is looking to win his fourth continental gold medal at the upcoming Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, in July.

Lopez (130 kg) said he was confident and well prepared, "as he always is," Havana-based news agency Prensa Latina reported Thursday.

"With the effort and dedication that I have always devoted to wrestling, everything will be fine," said Lopez, who won world titles in Greco-Roman wrestling in 2005, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2014.

The wrestler said he also had his sights set on the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

"The 2016 Brazil Olympics could provide my third Olympic gold medal, another joy I owe my people", said Lopez, 32.

Asked if he was wary of a particular rival, Lopez said no, because all of the competitors presented a challenge.

"Everyone stands ready and everyone knows how to fight on the mattress. I think each athlete's strongest opponent must be his dedication to training and to his athletic life. These are indeed rivals that require us to always to be in shape," he said.

A December 2014 survey by Cuban media and the National Sports Institute saw Lopez voted Cuba's best wrestler for the fourth year in a row. Endi