Beijing: Olympic and world champion Steven Lopez of the United States subdued Turkey's Bahri Tanrikulu Friday to settle a score in a rivalry between two taekwondo clans.
The American, fighting for a third straight Olympic gold medal, came from behind to beat 78-84kg world champion Tanrikulu in the 80kg welterweight first round.
The score was 3-0 after both fighters were given a one-point penalty.
It was not only a rematch of the Athens Games final but a chance to save pride for his family.
Lopez's younger sister Diana lost to the Turk's younger sister Azize in the 57kg featherweight quarter-finals on Thursday.
She fought back through the second-chance round of losers to grab a bronze medal while Tanrikulu lost to South Korean Lim Su-Jeong in the gold medal bout.
Mark, the other of three Lopez siblings sitting on the brink of making history at the Beijing Games, took the men's -68kg featherweight silver.
"In the back of my mind, I had to avenge my sister's loss. I did it for my family and myself," said Steven, a four-time world champion and the oldest of the trio at 29.
His left kick to the Turk's head for two points turned the tide in the second round.
"It was a great fight, more than anything. I believe it should have been the final," said Steven. "For me to go up, I couldn't have a slow start. I had to go in there to get to the top in the very beginning. I had to make sure to keep rising."
In the absence of dangerous opponents, he was all but assured of a clear path to the final, possibly against Athens Olympics -68kg gold medallist Hadi Saei of Iran who has stepped to the welterweight.
"Nothing is clear. The sport has become global and I won't take anything for granted," he said, adding he had beaten Saei at the world championships last year.
"If we both make it to the final, hopefully I will beat him the same as well."
The Lopez family are the first trio of siblings to represent the United States at the same Olympics in the same sport since the Tritschler brothers competed in gymnastics at the 1904 Games in St Louis 104 years ago.
Although none of the Tritschlers won a medal, the Lopez family have already struck gold together when they triumphed at the 2005 world championships to become the first three siblings in any sport to claim world titles at the same competition.
But the trio have already won gold together when they all triumphed at the 2005 world championships to become the first three siblings in any sport to claim world titles at the competition.
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