Mark Lopez and Charlotte Craig Win on Opening Day of 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Taekwondo

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. August 23, 2007--Charlotte Craig (Murrieta, Calif.) and Mark Lopez (Sugar Land, Texas) were victorious on the opening day of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials for Taekwondo on Thursday at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. Craig won the female fin/flyweight division with a 7-0 victory over Alexis Martinez (Pembroke Pines, Fla.), and Lopez took the men's bantam/featherweight final by withdrawal over Chris Martinez (Sugar Land, Texas).

Craig and Lopez have now qualified to represent the U.S. at the World Olympic Qualification Tournament in Manchester, England, Sept. 28-30. A top-three finish by either athlete at that event will qualify them for nomination to the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team.“I was really pumped up and glad that I had won the semi-finals so I think that I really felt focused in that final match," said Craig, 16, of her final match with the 14-year-old Martinez. "I was calm and stayed defensive. I think she (Martinez) performed really well. She's a great up-and-coming athlete."

In her semifinal match against Danielle Pelham (Bothell, Wash.), Craig found herself trailing in the third round but came back for a 6-5 victory.

“I knew I was going to come back from it," said Craig. "I knew as long as I stayed focused I would come back. You have to take advantage of the other person's mistakes. You have nothing to lose when you are down. If you're not going to attack then you will lose anyways.”

Craig, a bronze medalist at the 2007 World Taekwondo Championships, also thought her international experience helped her today.“I think it played a big role, because I am used to playing at higher international levels. Fighting at World Championships and fights like that helped me out a lot because it gives me a lot of confidence.”