- Nia Abdallah
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Nia Nicole Abdallah 
Nia AbdallahTeam Member At the U.S. OpenBorn January 24, 1984
Houston, Texas, U.S.Nationality 
AmericanHeight 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) Division Welterweight Style 3rd Dan black belt in Taekwondo Nia Nicole Abdallah (born January 24, 1984 in Houston, Texas) is the 2004 Olympic silver medalist and the first U.S. woman to officially medal in Taekwondo at the Olympics.
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Early Life
Abdallah was born and raised in Houston,Texas was introduced to Taekwondo by her stepfather when she was nine years old. He and her mother recognized her athleticism even at this young age. After graduating from George Washington Carver High School in Houston, She went on to become one of the best practitioners of her sport in the world, first as a Junior Olympic champion, then in open class international competition.
2004 Athens
Abdallah represented her country winning the silver medal becoming the first American female to win a medal in the olympics in Taekwondo since 1992.
2008 Olympic Trials
While trying to earn her spot to compete for her second gold medal in the 2008 Summer Olympics, in Beijing, Abdallah found herself at the center of controversy. Diana Lopez was receiving national attention for her hopes of joining her two brothers representing the United States in Taekwondo. After 3 rounds of the final bout between, Abdallah and Lopez had no points had been scored, and the fight went into Sudden Death Overtime where Lopez allegedly scored a winning kick. Abdallah's loss was controversial due to obvious points judges did not count. Abdallah was devastated but continued to represent her country and cheer on her team mates. This is possibly the most controversial match in Taekwondo history.
Abdallah's competition record
Medal record Women's Taekwondo Competitor for the United StatesOlympic Games Silver 2004 Athens – 57 kg World Championships Bronze 2007 Beijing – 63kg Pan American Games Bronze 2003 Santo Domingo – 57 kg 2010 U.S. Open (welter): bronze
2009 U.S. National Team Member (Welter)
2008 Olympic Trials (Feather): 2nd
2007 World Championships: bronze
2007 National Collegiate Championships (Light): gold
2007 U.S. National Team Member (Light)
2007 U.S. Open (Light): bronze
2006 Dutch Open (Light): silver
2006 Pan Am Championships (light): silver
2006 U.S. National Team Member (Light)
2006 National Collegiate Championships (welter): gold
2005 U.S Senior Nationals (light): Silver (National Team member)
2004 Olympic Games: silver
2003 Pan Am Games: bronze
2003 U.S. Open: gold
2003 U.S. Senior Nationals: Silver
2002 U.S. Open: gold
2001 U.S. Open: gold
2001 U.S. Senior Nationals: goldReferences
http://usa-taekwondo.us/athletes/2435
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