The Most Famous

WRESTLERS from Cuba

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This page contains a list of the greatest Cuban Wrestlers. The pantheon dataset contains 1,027 Wrestlers, 21 of which were born in Cuba. This makes Cuba the birth place of the 12th most number of Wrestlers behind Brazil, and Türkiye.

Top 10

The following people are considered by Pantheon to be the top 10 most legendary Cuban Wrestlers of all time. This list of famous Cuban Wrestlers is sorted by HPI (Historical Popularity Index), a metric that aggregates information on a biography's online popularity. Visit the rankings page to view the entire list of Cuban Wrestlers.

Photo of Mijaín López

1. Mijaín López (b. 1982)

With an HPI of 57.42, Mijaín López is the most famous Cuban Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 42 different languages on wikipedia.

Mijaín López Núñez (born 20 August 1982) is a Cuban retired Greco-Roman wrestler. Widely considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, López is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time World Champion, for a total of 10 world gold medals (second highest, behind Aleksandr Karelin's twelve), and a five-time Pan American Games champion. He is the younger brother of Michel López Núñez, a Cuban amateur boxer. López was Cuba's flag bearer at the opening ceremony of the 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2020 Summer Olympics, and one of the country's flag bearers at the closing ceremony of the 2024 Summer Olympics. Upon winning the gold medal in the Greco-Roman 130 kg event at the 2024 Paris Olympics, López became the first and only athlete in modern Olympics history to win five consecutive gold medals in the same individual event.

Photo of Héctor Rodríguez

2. Héctor Rodríguez (b. 1951)

With an HPI of 54.22, Héctor Rodríguez is the 2nd most famous Cuban Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Héctor Rodríguez Torres (born 12 August 1951) is a Cuban judoka and Olympic champion. He won a gold medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal by defeating South Korea's Chang Eun-kyung in the final.

Photo of Driulis González

3. Driulis González (b. 1973)

With an HPI of 48.22, Driulis González is the 3rd most famous Cuban Wrestler.  Her biography has been translated into 23 different languages.

Driulis González Morales (born 21 September 1973 in Guantánamo) is a Cuban judoka who has won four Olympic medals, including a gold medal in 1996. She carried the flag for her native country at the opening ceremony of the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Along with Australia's Mária Pekli and Japan's Ryoko Tamura-Tani, Driulis is the first female judoka to compete at five Olympics. The only other judokas to compete at five Olympics are Belgian Robert Van de Walle and Puerto Rican judoka-bobsledder Jorge Bonnet.

Photo of Héctor Milián

4. Héctor Milián (b. 1968)

With an HPI of 46.66, Héctor Milián is the 4th most famous Cuban Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Héctor Milián Pérez (born 14 May 1968) is a Cuban wrestler. He won an Olympic gold medal in Greco-Roman wrestling in 1992. He won a gold medal at the 1991 World Wrestling Championships.

Photo of Daima Beltrán

5. Daima Beltrán (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 46.01, Daima Beltrán is the 5th most famous Cuban Wrestler.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Daima Mayelis Beltrán Guisado (born 10 September 1972) is a Cuban judoka. At the 2000 Summer Olympics she won the silver medal in the women's Heavyweight (+78 kg) category. She repeated that feat four years later in Athens, Greece. Beltrán is currently training the Mexican Judo women's team at the CONADE facilities. Her most outstanding judokas to date have been Vanessa Zamboti and Edna Carrillo, who have participated in some editions of the Olympic Games.

Photo of Juan Marén

6. Juan Marén (b. 1971)

With an HPI of 45.88, Juan Marén is the 6th most famous Cuban Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 17 different languages.

Juan Luis Marén Delis (born August 20, 1971) is a Cuban wrestler in the Greco-Roman style, who has won three medals at the Olympic Games. He was born in Santiago de Cuba.

Photo of Yordanis Arencibia

7. Yordanis Arencibia (b. 1980)

With an HPI of 45.13, Yordanis Arencibia is the 7th most famous Cuban Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 20 different languages.

Yordanis Arencibia Verdecia (born 24 January 1980 in Amancio Rodríguez, Cuba) is a Cuban judoka. At the 2004 Summer Olympics he won the bronze medal in the men's half-lightweight (‍–‍66 kg) category, together with Georgi Georgiev of Bulgaria. He also won the bronze medal at the 2008 Summer Olympics with Pak Chol-Min of North Korea. He has also won bronze medals at the 1999, 2001 and 2003 World Judo Championships.

Photo of Filiberto Azcuy

8. Filiberto Azcuy (b. 1972)

With an HPI of 44.90, Filiberto Azcuy is the 8th most famous Cuban Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 16 different languages.

Filiberto Azcuy Aguilera (born October 13, 1972) is a Cuban wrestler (Greco-Roman style) who has won two Olympic gold medals.

Photo of Amarilis Savón

9. Amarilis Savón (b. 1974)

With an HPI of 44.87, Amarilis Savón is the 9th most famous Cuban Wrestler.  Her biography has been translated into 19 different languages.

Amarilis Savón Carmenate (born 13 May 1974) is a Cuban judoka who has competed at four Olympic Games and won three Olympic bronze medals at 1992 in Barcelona, 1996 in Atlanta and 2004 in Athens. Currently living in Miami, Florida, in the United States serving as a lead instructor and coach at Somerset Academy Charter. She coached three athletes at the 2013 USA Judo Senior Nationals who earned one gold and one silver medal.

Photo of Lázaro Rivas

10. Lázaro Rivas (1975 - 2013)

With an HPI of 44.37, Lázaro Rivas is the 10th most famous Cuban Wrestler.  His biography has been translated into 18 different languages.

Lázaro Rivas Scull (4 April 1975 – 22 December 2013) was a Cuban wrestler who competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics, in the 2000 Summer Olympics, and in the 2004 Summer Olympics. He was born in Havana and died in San José de las Lajas.

People

Pantheon has 21 people classified as Cuban wrestlers born between 1951 and 1996. Of these 21, 20 (95.24%) of them are still alive today. The most famous living Cuban wrestlers include Mijaín López, Héctor Rodríguez, and Driulis González. The most famous deceased Cuban wrestlers include Lázaro Rivas. As of April 2024, 21 new Cuban wrestlers have been added to Pantheon including Mijaín López, Héctor Rodríguez, and Driulis González.

Living Cuban Wrestlers

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Deceased Cuban Wrestlers

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Newly Added Cuban Wrestlers (2024)

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