Sport: Taekwondo
Country: United States
Birth Date: Nov. 9, 1978
Height: 6-foot-2
Weight Class: Olympic Welterweight
Hometown: Sugar Land, Texas

Olympic History

Entering his third Olympics, American Steven Lopez is aiming for his third gold. He won the men's featherweight division at the 2000 Sydney Games, where taekwondo made its debut as an official Olympic sport, and followed it up with a gold in the men's welterweight class at the 2004 Athens Games.

Career Highlights

Lopez has dominated the international taekwondo scene in recent years. He won his fourth straight world championship title in 2007, adding to his collection of World golds from 2001, 2003 and 2005. In 2005, Lopez was one of three members of his family to win a world title. His younger brother, Mark, won gold in the men's featherweight division and his younger sister, Diana, claimed gold in the women's featherweight class. With the trio of golds, the Lopezes became the first three siblings in any sport to claim World titles at the same event. All three siblings are coached by their older brother, Jean.

Martial Arts Roots

The Texan began taekwondo at the age of 5 after his older brother, Jean, started taking lessons. Their father, Julio, enrolled the boys in the martial art initially to learn self-defense, but they eventually became attracted to the competitive side of the sport, as well. When their interest and talent outgrew the school they trained at, Jean began working with his siblings and some of their friends in the family's garage. Now the family and their teammates train at the Elite Taekwondo Center, a school Jean co-owns in Sugar Land.

Personal

When he's not training for taekwondo, Lopez enjoys playing volleyball and basketball. His heroes include Muhammad Ali and his brother, Jean, and he says his biggest challenge is to be the best that he can be. The Texan says his favorite food is his mom's steak enchiladas, and his favorite Olympic sports to watch -- other than taekwondo -- are boxing and track and field.