Luisito Pié

Luisito Pié was born on March 4, 1994, in Bayaguana, Monte Plata, Dominican Republic. He began his athletic career in track and field at age ten, transitioning to Taekwondo a year later under coach Héctor Rodríguez. His early training was with the Centro de Iniciación Deportiva Escolar (CIDE) after participating in the 2012 National Elementary School Games. Pié is a member of the Dominican Navy, joining in 2011. He pursued higher education, initially studying Physical Education at Instituto Superior de Formación Docente Salomé Ureña in 2015 before continuing at Universidad Nacional Evangélica in 2016.

Pié’s career saw a significant turning point in 2013 when he earned a silver medal at the Bolivarian Games. This was followed by a gold medal at the 2014 Central American and Caribbean Games in Veracruz. The same year, he won gold at the Pan American Championship in Aguascalientes, Mexico. These early achievements established him as a prominent figure in Dominican Taekwondo. In 2015, he secured a silver medal at the Pan American Games in Toronto and a bronze medal at the Military World Games in Mungyeong. He also won the gold medal at the Morocco Open G1.

The pinnacle of his career came in 2016 when he qualified for the 2016 Summer Olympics. At the Rio 2016 Games, Pié earned a bronze medal in the 58 kg category, marking the Dominican Republic’s only medal at those games. His Olympic success led to national recognition, including congratulatory messages from the Dominican President Danilo Medina and an award package of an apartment and cash from the Minister of Sports. Pié continued to compete internationally, earning silver at the 2017 US Open, silver at the 2018 Pan American Championships, and gold at the 2018 Pan Am Open. He has also participated in multiple World Championships and Grand Prix series, consistently representing the Dominican Republic at the highest levels of Taekwondo.