Diana Lopez

“It is pretty amazing. My parents, who came from Nicaragua to the U.S. - who would have thought that they would have American kids on the Olympic team? I think that's the epitome of the Olympic dream.”

“Neither one of my parents played sports at a very high level when they grew up in Nicaragua.”

“You know, me winning two gold medals, going for a third one, that's nice. But being there with Mark and my sister, and my brother being the coach, it's a dream come true. It's going to be awesome.”

“Win or lose, I'm going to leave everything on the mat. That's what gold medalists do.”

“It's so emotional. You train so hard. I know the hours we put into it.”

“My parents sacrificed so much for all of us. It makes me want to give back to them by being the best I can be.”

“Not only are we like the epitome of the American dream, we've been successful at the sport for so long that we know the Lopez name will always be part of the taekwondo world.”

“Every first Friday, my father would go to confession, and he took very seriously the faith he would someday transmit to us.”

“Because of my mom's compassion, direction, and knowledge, she gives me that extra push to be the best person I can be.”

“I don't really worry too much about what people say. I guess it's good that people talk about me.”

“Most everything I do revolves around tae kwon do. That said, I like to be a typical girl and go shopping. I have three nieces and nephews that I like to hang out with. I'm also finishing my last semester at the University of Houston, where I'm majoring in childhood education.”

“Of course I want to bring home a gold medal, and that's what I'm planning on doing. For me, that's not pressure. It's a chance to show the world who I am.”

“When he was eighteen, my dad went off to college to become an architect.”

“My mother was the oldest of nine children, five boys and four girls, so she had experience sharing responsibility for a large, sometimes loud group of kids.”

“Do not sit next to my mother when she is watching one of her children compete because you will have fingernails down your back. She is a nervous wreck.”

“I am very proud of my mom and consider her the most courageous woman I know. With perseverance, sacrifice and hard work, she raised a family of Olympic athletes and gave us the tools and the spirit to succeed. That is something that my brothers and I will always be thankful for.”

“I need that hug from my mom. She's the Latin mother that hugs you and says all these sweet things to you in Spanish. It's just comforting. She also gives me that strength.”

“Before we came along, it would be like, 'Yes, thank God, we have the U.S. as our first fight.' Now it's like, 'Uh-oh, we have a Lopez in our division.'”

“If people look at me and, certainly, my brothers, and they see strength and guts, they'd have to know my parents. If they wanted to know why we're so close as a family, that closeness comes from my mother and father.”

“I think our legacy will always be there. My brothers and I have carved a path for all taekwondo players, not just in the U.S.”