Steve and Diana Lopez
The Lopez family knows how fortunate they are to experience the Olympics together. Members of the U.S, taekwondo Olympic team, sibling Diana and Steven Lopez hope to add more medals to their family’s collection. Their older brother, Jean Lopez coaches his siblings.
Diana, 28, won a silver medal at the Beijing 2008 games and Steven won a gold medal at the 2000 and the 2004 Games, as well as a bronze medal in Beijing. “As a family, it is a wonderful thing. To be here with one’s family is something that not many people can say,” says Steven in an interview with Hispanic Business.
The three train together in Texas. Their parents migrated to the country from Nicaragua “to have a chance, a good life.” “That was the vision our father had for us,” Jean noted.
Steven considers it a “miracle” to have so many members of a single family at the same edition of the Games. Jean who won a gold medial in the 2004 Athens games says, “I thank God: we do the same sport and we are the best in the US. It is something that is going to stay in my memory for a lifetime. I’m going to tell my children, my grandchildren about it,” he said, smiling.
Although having three members of one family on the same team is already unusual, one other member of this dynamic Olympic family will not be complete during the London competition. Another brother, Mark Lopez, a silver medalist four years ago, injured his shoulder during the qualification process. “But he is here with us. He has come to support us,” Diana said.
Photo courtesy of Team USA.
