COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Competing for the first time since their history-making performance at the World Taekwondo Championships last April, Diana, Mark and Steven Lopez (Sugar Land, Texas) will be among 68 athletes participating in the 2006 National Team Round Robin Fight-Off this Saturday at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs. The competition will be held in Sports Center I and will run from 9:00 a.m. to noon, and from 1:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.

The Lopez family made sports history at the 2005 World Taekwondo Championships in Madrid when all three siblings won world titles. For Steven, a two-time Olympic gold medalist, it marked his third consecutive world title. Diana, who will celebrate her 22nd birthday on Saturday, Mark (23) and Steven (27) are coached by their older brother Jean.

Three other pairs of siblings will join the Lopezes in Saturday’s competition: Darcy and John Kimmich (Aurora, Colo.), Christine Beckel (Tigard, Ore.) and Stephanie Beckel (Miami, Fla.), and Jason and Trevor Neville (Edmond, Okla.)

Other notables competing in the event include 2004 Olympic silver medalist Nia Abdallah (Houston, Texas) and 2005 world championship bronze medalist Mandy Meloon (Sugar Land, Texas).

Athletes in each of the 16 weight classes (eight male and eight female) will compete in a round robin format. The top two athletes in each of the weight classes at the end of Saturday’s competition will advance to the National Team Trials in Dallas on Feb. 16, held in conjunction with the 2006 U.S. Open.

The 16 National Team members will then go on to compete for 10 spots (five men, five women) on the 2006 World Cup Team. Those trials will be held on July 5 in conjunction with the Junior Olympic Championships at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta. The World Cup is scheduled for Sept. 14-19 in Bangkok, Thailand.

Media interested in attending the event should contact Bill Kellick (719-866-3626 or 719-232-7792) to reserve a press pass.

List of Competitors for Saturday’s Round Robin Fight-Off

Female Finweight – under 103.4 lbs. (under 54 kg)

Charlotte Craig (Temecula, Calif.)

Markie Keelan (Camarillo, Calif.)

Mandy Meloon (Sugar Land, Texas)

Tessa Smith (Oklahoma City, Okla.)

Nicole Suter (Edmond, Okla.)

Female Flyweight – 103.5–112.2 lbs. (47-51 kg)

Whitney Daniel (Virginia Beach, Va.)

Simone DeVito (Corlandt, N.Y.)

Giganni Lopez (Miami, Fla.)

Jesika Torres (Stockton, Calif.)

Female Bantamweight – 112.3–121.1 lbs. (55-59 kg)

Danielle Holmquist (Coral Springs, Fla.)

Eleni Koutsilianos (Astoria, N.Y.)

Kasey Mallard (Dallas, Texas)

Tanya Paterno (Pawling, N.Y.)

Female Featherweight – 121.3-129.8 lbs. (59-63 kg)

Brassie Anderson (Aiea, Hawaii)

Nicole Davis (Tulsa, Okla.)

Adriel Gray (Liberty, Ind.)

Diana Lopez (Sugar Land, Texas)

Andrea Velazquez (Miami, Fla.)

Female Lightweight – 129.9-138.6 lbs. (59-63 kg)

Nia Abdallah (Houston, Texas)

Stephanie Beckel (Miami, Fla.)

Darcy Kimmich (Aurora, Colo.)

Jamie Seyler (Arlington, Texas)

Female Welterweight – 138.7-147.4 lbs. (63-67 kg)

Melissa Blasco (Tuckerton, N.J.)

Simona Hradil (Winnetka, Calif.)

Gabriela Joslin (Spring, Texas)

Elizabeth Shakhnovich (Cambridge, Mass.)

Female Middleweight – 147.5-158.4 lbs. (67-71 kg)

Dalia Avivi (Davie, Fla.)

Christine Beckel (Tigard, Ore.)

Christina Park (New York, N.Y.)

Sanaz Shahbazi (Colorado Springs, Colo.)

Female Heavyweight – over 158.8 lbs. (over 71 kg)

Lauren Cahoon (Jacksonville, Fla.)

Candy Esparza (Blue Island, Ill.)

Amy Maillet (Orange, Mass.)

Amanda Nissen (Carrollton, Texas)

Male Finweight – under 118.8 lbs. (under 54 kg)

Daniel Elkowitz (Richmond, Texas)

Jon Perieda (Oklahoma City, Okla.)

Luis Reyes (Northridge, Calif.)

Brice Yu (Jonesboro, Ga.)

Male Flyweight – 118.9-127.6 lbs. (54-58 kg)

Charles Arnell Smith (Fort Washington, Md.)

Yannick Smith (Snow Hill, N.C.)

Tim Thackrey (Tarzana, Calif.)

Jamie Toyota (Killeen, Texas)

Male Bantamweight – 127.7-136.4 lbs. (58-62 kg)

Jesus Armendariz (La Porte, Texas)

Luke Ford (Coconut Grove, Fla.)

Brian Gallagher (Laramie, Wyo.)

Trevor Neville (Edmond, Okla.)

Male Featherweight – 136.5-147.4 lbs. (62-67 kg)

Chris Ahlstrom (Granada Hills, Calif.)

Terrence Jennings (Alexandria, Va.)

Mark Lopez (Sugar Land, Texas)

Tal Moriah (Houston, Texas)

Daren Tubbs (Plano, Texas)

Male Lightweight – 147.5-158.4 lbs. (67-72 kg)

Anthony Bell (Alexandria, Va.)

Jayson Grant (Worcester, Mass.)

Chris Martinez (Houston, Texas)

Jason Neville (Edmond, Okla.)

Male Welterweight – 158.5-171.6 lbs. (72-78 kg)

Rudford Hamon (Miami, Fla.)

Steven Lopez (Sugar Land, Texas)

Derek Romano (Vancouver, Wash.)

Jay Utter (Watertown, N.Y.)

Jared Wilder (Mt. Airy, Md.)

Male Middleweight – 171.7-184.8 lbs. (78-84 kg)

Josh Coleman (Winston-Salem, N.C.)

Louis Davis (APO, Calif.)

Antony Graf (Miami, Fla.)

Jason McEuin (Daly City, Calif.)

Male Heavyweight – over 184.8 lbs. (over 84 kg)

John Kimmich (Aurora, Colo.)

Steven Lambdin (Hurst, Texas)

Steven Ostrander (San Antonio, Texas)

Michael Tang (Haverhill, Mass.)

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