Steven López
![]() López in 2011 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Born | [1] New York City, New York, U.S.[2] | November 9, 1978||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Height | 6 ft 3 in (191 cm)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Weight | 185 lb (84 kg)[3] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Steven López (born November 9, 1978) is an American taekwondo competitor, a 2000 and 2004 Olympic gold medalist (in the -68 and -80 kg divisions, respectively) and a 2008 Olympic bronze medalist (again in the -80 kg division) and 4th Dan in taekwondo. In 2001, he won the Lightweight Taekwondo World Championship, and in 2003 he won the Welterweight Taekwondo World Championship which he has since won in 2005, 2007 and 2009 making him the first Taekwondo fighter to win 5 World Championships. With 2 Olympic titles, 5 titles in taekwondo world championships and 1 title in taekwondo world cup he is the most titled champion after Hadi Saei who earns 9 world class titles (two Olympic titles in 2004 and 2008, two world championships titles, four world cup titles and one world Olympic qualification tournament). [4][5]
Biography[edit]
López was born on November 9, 1978 in New York City to Nicaraguans parents. His parents, Julio and Ondina, moved from Nicaragua to the United States in 1972.[2] In Nicaragua, his father, Julio, worked for the dictator Anastasio Somoza, who was overthrown in 1979 after the Sandinista Revolution. His father took odd jobs to support his family but later relocated to Texas.[6] López first learned the sport of Taekwondo in his garage at the age of five from his father and Jean, his older brother.[7] He is a 1997 graduate of Kempner High School in Sugar Land, Texas where he was voted "most likely to succeed" and was member of the National Honor Society.
López's siblings, Mark, Diana and Jean Lopez (coach), are all USA National Team Members in Taekwondo.[1] His younger siblings, Mark and Diana, also represented the United States at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, marking the first time since 1904 that three siblings have been on the same Olympic team. Both López and siblings, Mark (men's featherweight) and Diana (women's featherweight), made sports history in April 2005 when they all claimed a world championship title at the same event (2005 World Taekwondo Championships) with their oldest brother, Jean, participating in the feat as their coach.[8] Steven Lopez and Diana Lopez both qualified for the 2012 Olympic games in London in July 2012 at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, CO.
On January 2006, López tested positive for a banned substance (L-methamphetamine) which he said came from an over-the-counter vapor inhaler he used. López promptly accepted a three-month suspension and participated in an educational anti-doping program.[8]
López has appeared in People Magazine's 50 Most Beautiful People.[8] In 2012, he participated in Fox's dating game show The Choice.[9]
López is a Roman Catholic who attends St. Theresa Catholic Church in Sugar Land, Texas, and has said his faith has always been a very important part of his life.[10]
Allegations of sexual misconduct and sexual assault[edit]
On June 8, 2017, USA Today published a news items stating that López had been accused of sexual assault and drugging of various female athletes.[11][12] The accusations presented a repeated pattern of behavior of abuse allegedly perpetrated by López and his brother, Jean Lopez. As of 2020, López and his brother have a preliminary suspension in place enacted by USA Taekwondo which effectively bars them from competing in international Taekwondo competitions.[13]
Career highlights[edit]
- 2015 Grand Prix: BRONZE
- 2015 Pan American Games: BRONZE
- 2014 Grand Prix: SILVER
- 2014 USA Open: GOLD
- 2013 Argentina Open: GOLD
- 2009 World Taekwondo Championships (Welter): GOLD
- 2008 Beijing Summer Olympics: BRONZE
- 2007 World Taekwondo Championships (Welter): GOLD
- 2007 Sr. National Team Trials (Welter): 1st
- 2005 U.S. Olympic Committee Male Athlete of the Month (April)
- 2004 Athens Summer Olympics: GOLD
- 2004 US Olympic Team Trials: GOLD
- 2004 Sullivan Award Finalist
- 2003 World Taekwondo Championships: GOLD
- 2003 World Taekwondo Qualification Tournament: BRONZE
- 2003 Pan American Games: GOLD
- 2003 Sullivan Award Finalist
- 2002 World Cup Taekwondo Championships: BRONZE
- 2002 Pan American Games: GOLD
- 2001 World Taekwondo Championships: GOLD
- 2000 Sydney Summer Olympics: GOLD
- 1999 Pan American Games: GOLD
- 1999 Pan American Regional Olympic Qualifier: GOLD
- 1998 World Cup Taekwondo Championships: BRONZE
- 1998 Pan American Taekwondo Championships: GOLD
- 1997 World Cup Taekwondo Championships: GOLD
- 1996 Pan American Taekwondo Championships: GOLD
- 1996 World Junior Taekwondo Championships: GOLD
- 1995 Pan American Taekwondo Championships: SILVER
- 1994 World Cup Taekwondo Championships: BRONZE
- 1993 Jr. Olympic: BRONZE
See also[edit]
Footnotes[edit]
- ^ a b "Steven Lopez". sports-reference.com. Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ a b Steven López profile at Olympic Games official website
- ^ a b "Steven Lopez". teamusa.org. United States Olympic Committee. Retrieved 2 August 2015.
- ^ name="HB">"Steven López Prepares to Defend Gold Medal at 2004 Olympic Games in Athens". HispanicBusiness.com. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
- ^ "TaekwondoData". TaekwondoData.
- ^ Times, Washington (2004-07-02). "Lopez and family get their kicks". Washington Times. Retrieved 2011-12-21.
- ^ "Steven López Prepares to Defend Gold Medal at 2004 Olympic Games in Athens". HispanicBusiness.com. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
- ^ a b c "NBC Olympics profile". nbcolympics.com. Retrieved 2008-05-03.
- ^ Hibberd, James (May 8, 2012). "Fox's 'The Choice' cast revealed! Joe Jonas, Dean Cain, The Situation, many more -- EXCLUSIVE". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved April 11, 2013.
- ^ Ramos, James (August 8, 2016). "Taekwondo fighter and immigrants' son fueled by faith at Olympics". Crux. Retrieved August 10, 2016.
- ^ Axon, Nancy Armour, and Rachel. "Lopez brothers, Olympic taekwondo royalty, hit with sex abuse allegations". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
- ^ Starr, Alexandra (2020-02-16). "These Women Are Fighting to Expose Olympic Taekwondo Legends as Predators". The Daily Beast. Retrieved 2022-02-22.
- ^ Axon, Nancy Armour and Rachel. "Report: Sixth woman says she was sexually abused by Olympic taekwondo champ Steven Lopez". USA TODAY. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
External links[edit]
- US Olympic Team profile at the Wayback Machine (archived November 21, 2008)
- USA Taekwondo profile
- The Road to Beijing 2008
- Interactive 3D Taekwondo training program, featuring López
- Steven López at TaekwondoData.com
- 1978 births
- American male taekwondo practitioners
- American sportsmen
- Living people
- Kempner High School alumni
- Sportspeople from New York City
- Nicaraguan emigrants to the United States
- Participants in American reality television series
- Taekwondo practitioners at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Taekwondo practitioners at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Taekwondo practitioners at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Taekwondo practitioners at the 2012 Summer Olympics
- Taekwondo practitioners at the 2016 Summer Olympics
- Olympic gold medalists for the United States in taekwondo
- Olympic bronze medalists for the United States in taekwondo
- Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics
- Medalists at the 2008 Summer Olympics
- Taekwondo practitioners at the 2011 Pan American Games
- Taekwondo practitioners at the 2015 Pan American Games
- Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
- Pan American Games medalists in taekwondo
- World Taekwondo Championships medalists
- Taekwondo practitioners at the 1999 Pan American Games
- Medalists at the 2015 Pan American Games