But shockingly, the name of another legend was missing from the list. Instead of Lopes' main rival since 2011, Turkish wrestler Riza Kayaalp, there was the name of Muhammet Hamza Bakir, the 2023 U-23 world champion.

The Turkish press is reporting that Kayaalp has tested positive for a banned substance and is ineligible to compete at the Paris 2024 Olympics.

According to the Turkish wrestler, he used the medication for treatment under the supervision of a sports doctor. Kayaalp said he had been using a medication prescribed to him for his long-standing severe tinnitus, dizziness and headaches, which had recently increased.

"Despite all the professional care I took in my Olympic preparation, which marked a successful 24-year clean sports career, I was faced with an unfortunate situation," the wrestler said. He also asked for prayers and support "to overcome the victimisation experienced in the last phase of my sporting career".

Kayaalp is a three-time Olympic medallist, losing to Lopez each time. They met in the semi-finals of London 2012 and the quarter-finals of Tokyo 2020. Both times Lopez won and both times Kayaalp took the bronze medal. They also met in the Rio 2016 final and Kayaalp went home with the silver medal.

Kayaalp won Paris 2024 for Turkey at the 2023 World Championships. He lost to Iran's Amir Mirzazadeh in the final to take the silver medal. He was also on course to win a record 13th European title at the 2024 European Championships, but lost to Individual Neutral Athlete Sergey Semenov in the final. Now, with the absence of Kayaalp and Semenov, Mirzazadeh will be Lopez's main rival at Paris 2024.