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Taekwondo athletes and brother and sister, Diana Lopez and Steven Lopez pose for a portrait during the 2012 Team USA Media Summit on May 13, 2012 in Dallas, Texas.

Taekwondo athletes and brother and sister, Diana Lopez and Steven Lopez pose for a portrait during the 2012 Team USA Media Summit on May 13, 2012 in Dallas, Texas. (Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)

10 Latino Olympians to follow on Twitter

by , @RealAdrianC 
9:22 am on 07/26/2012

The opening ceremonies for the 2012 Olympics in London are a day away and U.S. athletes have already taken to Twitter to keep fans abreast of what is going on. Check out the Latino athletes to follow as they prepare to go for the gold.

Ryan Lochte:  Many people didn’t know one of the stars of the USA swim team was Cuban, and his mom filled everybody in. But how does he think he’s going to do in London? He says he’s ready to take over.

Marlen Esparza:  She’s the face of Covergirl and she packs a serious punch. Esparza is on the inaugural team of U.S. women’s boxers and she says beauty is important even though she’s a fighter.  “I think if you look good, you feel good, and if you feel good then you fight good,” she says.

Brenda Villa: Villa, a silver medalist and four-time Olympic athlete, is the leader of the U.S. women’s water polo team as the squad captain, and aspires to be a role model for future athletes after growing up with very few athletes that looked like her.

Danell Johan Leyva: This 2011 World Champion spoke with NBC News about escaping from Cuba as a young child and what drives him to be the renowned gymnast that he is today.

John Orozco:  He grew up in the Bronx where gymnastics wasn’t a popular sport, but this Puerto Rican excelled beyond his wildest dreams.

Joseph Diaz:  At 19, Joseph Diaz Jr. is the youngest member of the U.S. men’s Olympic boxing team and his dream has been to get his parents, who live in Los Angeles, to London.

Manuel Huerta: Huerta never stayed in one place long, as he traveled back and forth between Costa Rica and Argentina every six months to train for the London Olympics.

Carmelo Anthony:  The Knicks star is shacking with Dream Team 2012 icons as he, Lebron, Kobe, Durant and the rest try to win the gold medal against world competition like Spain and Argentina, which doesn’t fear them.

Sarah Robles:  Joy Robles, Sarah’s mother, will travel alongside her daughter for the first time and see her compete as an Olympic weightlifter. The mother-daughter duo shared with NBC Latino how lifting a twelve pack of soda was the first step toward Olympic gold.

Diana Lopez and Steven Lopez: The Lopez siblings are back, and ready break records during the 2012 London Olympics. Steven Lopez will be competing for his third Olympic gold medal, while 2008 bronze medalist Diana Lopez is looking forward to her first Olympic gold. They told NBC News what it was like to grow up in a competitive household of fighters.

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