Team USA will be Team Lopez at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, as a trio of siblings earned three of the four spots on the U.S. taekwondo team.
Fighters Diana and Mark Lopez earned berths on the U.S. Olympic team by winning Saturday's fight-offs in Des Moines, Iowa. They will join their older brother, Steven -- a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion in the sport -- on the Beijing squad.
The last time three siblings qualified for the U.S. Olympic team in the same year was 1904 when Edward, Richard and William Tritschler all competed on the gymnastics squad.
Diana Lopez earned her trip to Beijing by defeating 2004 Olympic silver medalist Nia Abdallah 1-0 in overtime in the women's featherweight division.
Mark Lopez clinched his spot in the men's featherweight class by beating Chris Martinez, who trains with the Lopezes in Sugar Land, Texas, 3-2.
Steven did not compete Saturday, as he had already secured his Olympic berth.
The fourth and final spot on the U.S. Olympic team was secured by Charlotte Craig, who defeated Anees Hasnain 4-2 in the women's flyweight division.
All three Lopez siblings are coached by their oldest brother, Jean. A U.S. national coach, Jean was at the helm of the 2004 Olympic taekwondo team that earned two medals in Athens -- gold by Steven and Abdallah's silver.
He also coached all three of his siblings to gold at the 2005 World Championships, where Steven, Mark and Diana each won their respective weight classes.
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