On August 28, five-time Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling Mijaín López Núñez and the head coach of the Cuban national Greco-Roman wrestling team Raul Trujillo Diaz arrived in Saransk. They visited the capital of the Republic of Mordovia to get acquainted with MRSU.

The meeting began in the office of the rector Mr. Dmitry Glushko. Together they discussed the development of sports in the university and the region as a whole. Our gusts guests were told about the opportunities that the university gives to its students.

«Since this year, we have been implementing a master’s program in „Sport Management“. We invited Raul Diaz to become one of the teachers so that students could gain knowledge from professionals in their field. Raul Diaz is a truly legendary coach: he has trained 30 world champions and 20 Olympic champions, including Mijain Lopez. His result is 5 Olympic medals, which is what any athlete and any coach dreams of,» said Dmitry Glushko.

The guests from Cuba were shown Saransk from the observation deck, told about the city and Mordovian culture, and introduced to the faculties and institutes. At the Faculty of Foreign Languages, Mijaín López and Raul Diaz communicated with students in their native Spanish, discussed Russian literature and the friendship between Russia and Cuba. At the Institute of High Technologies and New Materials, the guests were shown experiments in the laboratory «Molecular Metal-Free Electrocatalysts for Hydrogen Energy». They also visited the new wrestling hall of the Surkov brothers.

«We started training in very modest conditions, in some places there was a lot of humidity, in others there was a lack of exercise equipment. Nevertheless, Cuban athletes are winning at the Olympic Games: this year we came in second place in in team competitions. Therefore, I am sure that it is a gift from God that you have such conditions here and such coaches as the Surkov brothers. With them, young athletes will definitely succeed,» Raul Diaz emphasized.

However, the main event of the day was the open training with the Olympic champion. The students of the Surkov brothers' wrestling school demonstrated what they had learned during their training, and were also able to compete with Mikhain Lopez.

«Only three days had passed since we won the Olympic Games, and my coach, Raul Diaz, suggested going to Russia to pay tribute to the country that once inspired me to achieve in sports. Of course, I happily agreed to come. I am very pleased that I have now become part of the history of the Mordovi State University and the city,» said Mikhain Lopez Nunez.

Born August 20, 1982, Lopez is a Cuban Greco-Roman wrestler. Widely considered one of the greatest wrestlers of all time, Mijain is a five-time Olympic gold medalist, five-time World Champion, and five-time Pan American Games champion.

López has represented Cuba at the 2004, 2008, and 2012 Summer Olympics in Athens, Beijing, and London, and was his country’s flag bearer during the opening ceremonies in 2008 and 2012. At the Paris 2024 Olympic Games, López won his fifth gold medal, becoming the first Olympic athlete in any sport to win five gold medals in the same individual event.