Las Vegas Taekwondo School Hosts International Athletes for U.S. Open

One Top Center trains alongside national teams from Ecuador, Mexico, Korea, and Chinese Taipei ahead of the competition.

Published on Mar. 6, 2026

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The U.S. Open Taekwondo Championship is underway in Las Vegas this weekend, and a local taekwondo school called One Top Center has been at the center of the preparation. The school has been hosting national teams from around the world, including Ecuador, Mexico, Korea, and Chinese Taipei, on its training floor for months leading up to the competition.

Why it matters

The U.S. Open is a significant event for many international taekwondo athletes, serving as a benchmark ahead of the world championship later this year. The training environment at One Top Center emphasizes mutual respect between competitors, despite the competitive stakes.

The details

One Top Center, a taekwondo school in southwest Las Vegas, has been training alongside athletes from Ecuador, Mexico, Korea, and Chinese Taipei for the U.S. Open. The school's headmaster, Steban Monroy Diaz, originally from Colombia, has been preparing both himself and his students for the tournament. This is the second year One Top Center's students will compete at the U.S. Open, including returning athlete Nicholas Park, who took first place in his division last year.

  • The U.S. Open Taekwondo Championship is underway this weekend (March 6-8, 2026) in Las Vegas.
  • One Top Center has been training for the U.S. Open for the past 3-4 months.

The players

One Top Center

A taekwondo school in southwest Las Vegas that has been hosting national teams from around the world on its training floor ahead of the U.S. Open Taekwondo Championship.

Steban Monroy Diaz

The headmaster of One Top Center, originally from Colombia where he competed on the national team, who has been preparing both himself and his students for the U.S. Open tournament.

Nicholas Park

A Las Vegas athlete who trains at One Top Center and took first place in his division at last year's U.S. Open Taekwondo Championship.

Deniela Darcia

A national team member from Ecuador who says the U.S. Open serves as a benchmark ahead of the world championship.

Eiji Bae

A black belt from Korea who has been training at One Top Center and says taekwondo has been his lifelong pursuit.

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What they’re saying

“We just had the Ecuador team, Mexico team. We have a couple of members from Korea. There are other people from Chinese Taipei. So, it is all around the world.”

— Steban Monroy Diaz, Headmaster, One Top Center (fox5vegas.com)

“I'm looking forward to working hard and letting this competition push my limits.”

— Nicholas Park (fox5vegas.com)

“Other countries come, and I know that to a lot of countries this is an important championship for, like, seeing the level of other countries for the world championship this year.”

— Deniela Darcia, National Team Member, Ecuador (fox5vegas.com)

“I've been doing it for 21 years. Like, I can say this is my whole life.”

— Eiji Bae, Black Belt, Korea (fox5vegas.com)

“Because when they come here training, everyone is the same, everyone bows to everyone, and they have that respect. So that's what we want to kind of push to everyone, to have that spirit.”

— Steban Monroy Diaz, Headmaster, One Top Center (fox5vegas.com)

What’s next

The first day of the U.S. Open features traditional forms competition, known as Poomse. The remainder of the tournament focuses on sparring — the discipline featured in the Olympics — and concludes on Sunday, March 8, 2026.

The takeaway

The training environment at One Top Center, which has hosted international athletes from around the world, exemplifies the mutual respect and global spirit at the heart of taekwondo competition. Despite the competitive stakes, the school's focus on fostering a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere reflects the sport's core values.