BEIJING • The “adopted Lopez” apparently doesn’t receive star treatment like America’s first family of taekwondo.

A late rally in which she might have scored several points Wednesday wasn’t enough to save Charlotte Craig in a 3-2 loss to Venezuelan Dalia Contreras Rivero in the 108-pound flyweight quarterfinals at the Beijing Games.

The youngest of 16 flyweight competitors, Craig, 17, got no points from a four-person judging panel in the third period despite twice unloading a flurry of kicks in the corners and a punishing face shot at the buzzer.

“A loss is a loss either way,” Craig said after Rivero’s setback against Thailand’s Buttree Puedpong knocked her out of bronze-medal contention. “I think it would hurt the same. I’m just happy that I got a chance to represent my country.”

Most called Craig the undercard to Steven, Mark and Diana Lopez, the first set of three American siblings to make the same Summer Games in the same sport since gymnastics brothers Edward, Richard and William Tritschler appeared in the 1904 Olympics.

Their older brother, Jean, coaches all of them – Steven a two-time Olympic gold medalist and four-time world champion; Mark a three-time world medalist; and Diana a two-time world medalist. Mark and Diana compete today, and Steven fights Friday.

“We’re like one big family,” Craig said. “We always kid around and say I’m the adopted Lopez. They always treat me like I’m their younger sister. I just love their support.”

That support went only so far for Craig, whose resume is devoid of medals at major international tournaments, save for bronzes at the 2007 world championships and the 2006 world junior championships.

Craig lost some of her usual aggression when she sprained her left ankle in the first period, then fell into a 3-1 deficit in the opening 52 seconds of the second on sharp kicks by Rivero, a two-time Olympian.

In the third, Jean Lopez erupted from his chair after a series of Craig kicks and punches resulted in nothing. A one-point deduction on Rivero with 1 minute, 9 seconds left gave Craig life, but her second flurry and roundhouse kick as time expired went for naught.

Asked if she scored on her third-period chances, Craig said, “I think I did.”

Craig plans to fight through the 2020 Olympics, which likely won’t feature the Lopezes.

“It’s a learning experience,” she said. “Even though I’m 17, I’m still right there with the top athletes in the world.”-CONTACT THE WRITER: 636-0256 or brian.gomez@gazettedev.gazette.com. Check out our Olympics blog at gazetteolympics.freedomblogging.com

Colorado Springs police detectives investigate the scene of a homicide the night before outside 720 N. Swope Ave. in the Knob Hill area of Colorado Springs Wednesday, Aug. 20, 2008. Photo by (Christian Murdock, The Gazette)

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