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  • Castro defends athlete who kicked judge in face Posted Monday, August 25, 2008 10:21 AM ET By the Associated Press Fidel Castro on Monday defended the Cuban taekwondo athlete who kicked a judge in the face at the Beijing Olympics, saying Angel Matos was rightfully indignant over his disqualification from the bronze-medal match.
  • Korea wins men's gold Posted Saturday, August 23, 2008 6:20 AM ET By the Associated Press

    South Korea's Cha Dong-min has won the men's over 80-kilogram class in taekwondo, bringing the fourth gold to his country in its native sport.

  • Mexico takes women's gold Posted Saturday, August 23, 2008 5:57 AM ET By the Associated Press

    Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza won the gold medal in the women's over 67-kilogram class of taekwondo.

  • Kicked out: Cuban banned for life Posted Saturday, August 23, 2008 5:42 AM ET By the Associated Press

    A Cuban taekwondo athlete attacked the referee, bloodying his face, after losing his bronze-medal match in Beijing Saturday. Angel Matos was banned from the Olympics.

  • Mexico, South Korea advance to final Posted Saturday, August 23, 2008 4:24 AM ET By the Associated Press

    World champion Maria del Rosario Espinoza of Mexico earned a slot in the finals of the women's over 67-kilogram class on the closing day of the Olympic taekwondo competition Saturday.

  • 80+kg men and 67+kg women Posted Friday, August 22, 2008 5:54 PM ET The fourth day of Olympic taekwondo features the most powerful fighters - the men's 80+kg and women's 67+kg divisions. Follow the results live as they come in from Beijing.
  • Iran takes men's gold Posted Friday, August 22, 2008 5:41 AM ET By the Associated Press

    Iran's Hadi Saei won the men's 80-kilogram class taekwondo gold on Friday, defeating Italy's Mauro Sarmiento, who, earlier in the day, defeated American Steven Lopez.

  • 3 golds in 2 days Posted Friday, August 22, 2008 5:31 AM ET By the Associated Press

    South Korea's Hwang Kyung-seon defeated Canada's Karine Sergerie with a kick in the final seconds to win the women's 67-kilogram class gold in taekwondo Friday.

  • Lopez bronze after first loss in 6 years Posted Friday, August 22, 2008 3:48 AM ET By the Associated Press

    Hwang Kyung-seon won South Korea's third gold medal in taekwondo on Friday, and Iran's Hadi Saei captured the men's 80kg title after an upset sent the favorite, Steven Lopez, to a quarterfinal loss.

  • Men's 80kg and women's 67kg Posted Thursday, August 21, 2008 5:45 PM ET Steven Lopez lost to Italy's Mauro Sarmiento in the quarterfinals Friday. Lopez is a two-time Olympic gold medalist and a four-time world champion. Before Friday, he had not lost a match since 2002.
  • Lopez siblings entertain anxious fans Posted Thursday, August 21, 2008 7:42 AM ET By Mary Motzko, NBCOlympics.com

    Siblings Diana and Mark Lopez gave their fans a few anxious moments, as they battled through victory, loss and overtime en route to earning bronze and silver medals in the Olympic taekwondo tournament.

  • Korea wins two golds; Lopezes win bronze and silver Posted Thursday, August 21, 2008 6:44 AM ET By the Associated Press South Korea collected two gold medals in taekwondo on Thursday, while siblings Mark and Diana Lopez of the United States won a silver and a bronze, adding more hardware to the family's haul.
  • Mark Lopez makes final; Diana goes for bronze Posted Thursday, August 21, 2008 6:18 AM ET By the Associated Press

    Mark Lopez of the United States will advance to the finals of the men's 68-kilogram taekwondo competition, but his sister, Diana, lost her quarterfinal bout Thursday, but will go for bronze.

  • Mark Lopez wins silver Posted Thursday, August 21, 2008 5:40 AM ET By the Associated Press South Korea's Son Tae-jin scored a kick in the final second to defeat Mark Lopez of the United States for the gold medal in the men's 68kg. taekwondo competition.
  • Diana Lopez adds to family haul with bronze Posted Thursday, August 21, 2008 5:22 AM ET By the Associated Press

    South Korea's Lim Su-jeong won the women's 57kg. taekwondo gold on Thursday, defeating Azize Tanrikulu of Turkey, but the United States' Diana Lopez added to her family's Olympic medal haul with a bronze medal.

  • Men's 68kg and women's 57kg Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2008 5:40 PM ET By Joshua Zembik Follow the results live as the men's 68kg and women's 57kg divisions kick off on day two of Olympic taekwondo. Siblings Diana and Mark Lopez headline the day's action from Beijing.
  • Afghanistan wins first ever Olympic medal Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2008 5:29 AM ET By the Associated Press Afghanistan won its first Olympic medal, when Rohullah Nikpai defeated world champion Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain to take the bronze medal in the men's under 58-kilogram taekwondo competition.
  • China, Mexico win gold Posted Wednesday, August 20, 2008 3:36 AM ET By the Associated Press

    Chinese world champion Wu Jingyu won Olympic gold during the first day of taekwondo competition on Wednesday, while Afghanistan got its first Olympic medal ever, winning a bronze in the men's under 58kg division.

  • Lopez family going for golds Posted Monday, August 18, 2008 2:41 AM ET By the Associated Press

    Steven Lopez looked at his draw in taekwondo on Monday and didn't bat an eye. In his first match, he will have to fight the man he beat in the Athens' final, Turkey's Bahri Tanrikulu.

  • Lopezes kick for history Posted Friday, August 8, 2008 4:07 PM ET By the Associated Press

    For as long as she can remember, Diana Lopez has been fighting with her three brothers. Not just disagreements over bathroom rights, but the all-out, kick-and-punch kind of fighting.

  • U.S. taekwondo team kickin' it in Beijing Posted Friday, August 8, 2008 12:40 AM ET By Mary Motzko, NBCOlympics.com

    The U.S. Olympic taekwondo team has arrived in Beijing and the fighters are already enjoying the Olympic experience, from meeting Kobe Bryant and LeBron James, to walking in Friday's Opening Ceremony.

  • Taekwondo: What to expect Posted Friday, July 11, 2008 8:06 AM ET By Lee Ann Gschwind and Nate Herpich Four Americans have a legitimate shot to win an Olympic medal: the Lopez siblings, Diana, Mark, and Steven, as well as Charlotte Craig.  In fact, there will be more medals available for all in Beijing.
  • Taekwondo's first family Posted Monday, July 7, 2008 9:07 AM ET By Nate Herpich, NBCOlympics.com

    Mark and Diana Lopez won the Olympic trial fight-offs in Des Moines, Iowa this past April, thus joining brother Steven on the 2008 Olympic team. 

  • Korean soldiers train for confrontation, black-belt style Posted Tuesday, April 29, 2008 12:50 PM ET By Eric Talmadge (AP)

    In Korea, taekwondo is more than just a national sport, it is a way of life, and an important part of this country's military training. 

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Taekwondo

Traditionally, taekwondo competitions consist of 16 weight classes, eight for men and eight for women. In the Olympics, there are only eight classes -- four for each gender -- because the IOC limits the total number of taekwondo entrants to 128.

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