U.S. Latino Olympians to watch
peep this
sun 8/10/2008
(image by Alexander Hassenstein via Getty Images)
Age: 23
Hometown: East Los Angeles, California
Sport: Boxing (Middleweight)
Watch: August 16, 20, 23
Age: 41
Hometown: Los Angeles, California
Sport: Swimming (50m free, 4x100m free)
Watch: August 15 -17
Age: 19
Hometown: Duncanville, Texas
Sport: Boxing (Light Flyweight)
Watch: August 13, 16, 19, 22, 24
The Lopez Family
whodat
tue 7/1/2008
Four Americans are representing the United States in tae kwon do at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, China. Three of them share the same last name. And the same home. And the same parents.
Meet Steven, Mark and Diana Lopez of Sugar Land, Texas. The three twentysomethings will make history this summer by becoming the first trio of American siblings in over 100 years to compete in the same Olympics. Their coach? Another Lopez: Jean, their big brother and a two-time Pan-American tae kwon do champ.
Steven, 29, Mark, 26, and Diana, 24, were trained by Jean in their garage. The family of Nicaraguan-American athletes even has a signature style: a reversed stance designed to throw off opponents and an emphasis on defense, which allows the wiry siblings to take advantage of their long limbs. "Tae kwon do is a chess game; it's almost like a dance. What we do is dispute the dance so it isn't a game of chance," explains Jean.
It works. Steven, a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time World Champion, is already considered one of the greatest tae kwon do fighters in U.S. history. Mark and Diana, who qualified for their first Olympic games this year (Diana failed to qualify in 2004), are both world champions.
Despite their dominance, the Lopez family has some detractors. Some claim Diana's Olympic trial match was judged in her favor – tae kwon do scoring is subjective, like amateur boxing – to ensure the Lopezes could make Olympic history in August. Especially if all three earn a medal – a once-in-a-lifetime possibility many are counting on. Their parents, included.
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