LONDRES .- Steven López se torció un tobillo hace dos semanas en un entrenamiento. Su hermana Diana ha debido soportar durante meses un problema en un pie.

Era un secreto celosamente guardado por esta familia de padres nicaragüenses. La verdad ha salido a la luz en los Juegos Olímpicos de Londres.

Un día después de que su hermana Diana sufrió una derrota en su combate de la primera ronda, Steven cayó también en su compromiso inicial, dentro de la categoría de los 80 kilogramos. Con ello, se desvanecieron sus esperanzas de ganar un tercer título olímpico.

Por primera vez desde que esta arte marcial ingresó al programa olímpico oficial, en Sidney 2000, los López se van con las manos vacías.

"Trabajas toda una vida por estos momentos", dijo el entrenador Jean López, hermano mayor de Steven, Diana y Mark, a quienes entrena. "Pero hemos tenido que lidiar con circunstancias inesperadas".

El propio Jean López fue medallista de plata en los Juegos Olímpicos.

No se reveló el grado de las lesiones antes de los combates de Steven o de Diana. Su hermano y entrenador no quería dar ventaja a los rivales con esa información.

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  • Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza reacts after defeating Cuba's Glenhis Hernandez in their bronze medal match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza makes her way to fight Cuba's Glenhis Hernandez in their bronze medal match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza fights Cuba's Glenhis Hernandez (in red) during their bronze medal match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza lays injured on the mat during her match against Cuba's Glenhis Hernandez in their bronze medal match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza fights Cuba's Glenhis Hernandez (in red) during their bronze medal match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)258

  • Cuba's Glenhis Hernandez reacts during her match against Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza in their bronze medal match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mali's Daba Modibo Keita fights Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza (in red) during their quarterfinal round match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Maria del Rosario Espinoza reacts after her match against Cambodia's Davin Sorn in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mali's Daba Modibo Keita fights Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza (in red) during their quarterfinal round match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mali's Daba Modibo Keita fights Mexico's Maria del Rosario Espinoza (in red) during their quarterfinal round match in women's plus 67-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Saturday, Aug. 11, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Spain's Brigette Yague Enrique makes her way to fight Mexico's Jannet Alegria Pena in the women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mexico's Jannet Alegria Pena waits to fight Jordan's Raya Hatahet in the women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Morocco's Sanaa Atabrour, right, fights Argentina's Carola Malvina Lopez Rodriquez during their match in women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Dominican Republic's Yulis Mercedes Reyes is attended to after getting injured during his fight against Yemen's Tameem Mohammed Ahmed Al-Kubati in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Dominican Republic's Yulis Mercedes Reyes reacts after his fight against Yemen's Tameem Mohammed Ahmed Al-Kubati in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Yemen's Tameem Mohammed Ahmed Al-Kubati consoles Dominican Republic's Yulis Mercedes Reyes (in red) after their match in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Yemen's Tameem Mohammed Ahmed Al-Kubati fights Dominican Republic's Yulis Mercedes Reyes (in red) during their match in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Russia's Alexey Denisenko fights Costa Rica's Heiner Oviedo (in red) during their match in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Russia's Alexey Denisenko fights Costa Rica's Heiner Oviedo (in red) during their match in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Russia's Kristina Kim gets kicked in the head by Thailand's Chanatip Sonkham during their match in women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Thailand's Chanatip Sonkham fights Russia's Kristina Kim (in red) during their match in women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Kazakhstan's Nursultan Mamayev fights Egypt's Tamer Bayoumi (in red) during their match in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Kazakhstan's Nursultan Mamayev fights Egypt's Tamer Bayoumi (in red) during their match in men's 58-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mexico's Jannet Algeria Pena waits to fight Jordan's Raya Hatahet in women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Jordan's Raya Hatahet fights Mexico's Jannet Algeria Pena (in red) during their match in women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Morocco's Sanaa Atabrour looks on during her fight against Argentina's Carola Malvina Lopez Rodriquez in women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Jordan's Raya Hatahet fights Mexico's Jannet Alegria Pena (in red) during their match in the women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

  • Mexico's Jannet Algeria Pena fights Croatia's Lucija Zaninovic (in red) during their bronze medal match in women's 49-kg taekwondo competition at the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wednesday, Aug. 8, 2012, in London. (AP Photo/Ng Han Guan)

Steven López perdió una ventaja de 1-0 y fue vencido 3-2 por el azerbaiyano Ramin Azizov, primer preclasificado en la categoría.


La única forma en que Steven habría aspirado a una medalla de bronce era que Azizov llegara al combate por el oro, y no lo hizo. Cuando Azizov perdió un duelo de cuartos de final frente al italiano Mauro Sarmiento, terminó sin gloria la participación de la familia en Londres 2012.


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