Breaking is a dance culture that originated in the Bronx in the 1970s and will debut at the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, France. Who would have thought that hip-hop would make it this far.
The women’s game takes place on Friday (August 9) and the men’s game takes place on Saturday (August 10). The event was held at the Place de la Concorde, the largest square in Paris, and was attended by hundreds of people.
Japan’s Ami Yuasa (aka B-girl “Ami”) won the gold medal at the first Breaking competition, showing off her impressive front flip and back flip. Meanwhile, Canada’s Phillip King (aka hip-hop boy Phil Wizard) won the first men’s thunderbolt gold medal.
“Including wrestling as an event in the Olympics is a great thing because it allows people to discover all the wonderful things about wrestling,” Yuasa told Reuters. “Everyone who competed today was able to convey the wonderful aspects of breaking.”
Unfortunately, Breaking was not included in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, and entry into the 2032 Brisbane Games seems unlikely. So it might be a while before it reappears in the Olympics. Despite the setbacks, the competitors made a lasting impression by showcasing breaking as a cultural art form and a sport, elevating it to the same level of competition as gymnastics.
Here’s some news and highlights from the two-day breaking competition at Paris 2024.
Contestants were judged in five categories
Technical execution Musical Originality Vocabulary (body language)
There is no digital scoring system like in other Olympic competitions such as figure skating or gymnastics. Judges score the dances subjectively and visually based on style and technique.
Medal winner: Women
Gold Medal: Ami Yuasa (B-girl Ami), 25, Japan Silver Medal: Dominika Banevič (B-girl Nicka), 17, Lithuania Bronze Medal: Liu Qingyi (B-girl 671), 19, China
Medal winner: Men
Gold: Philip Kim (B-boy Phil Wizard), 27, Canada Silver: Danis Civil (B-boy Dany Dann), 36, France Bronze: Victor Montalvo (B-boy Victor), 30, United States
Rachael Gunn (aka B-girl Raygun)’s viral moment in breaking news
Rachael Gunn, aka B-girl Raygun, is famous on social media, but it’s not for her dancing skills. The 36-year-old professor from Sydney, Australia, appeared at the competition and showed off her bizarre dance moves while mostly lying flat on the ground. At one point, Regon jumped up and performed her “kangaroo” move, jumping up and down like a native Australian animal. Very embarrassing. Thankfully, she was eliminated in the round robin stage without scoring a single point.
Videos of Raygun’s routine went viral on TikTok and YouTube, as you can see below. Many believe that Raygun mocks hip-hop and the dance genre with her unorthodox dance techniques.
Australia’s B-Girl Raygun will compete in the B-Girl Round Robin – Group B on Day 14 of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games at Place de la Concorde in Paris, France on August 9, 2024.
Snoop Dogg unveiling ceremony
Veteran hip-hop singer Snoop Dogg debuted before the Olympic Breaking competition. Doggfather walked out on stage to his 2004 song “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” giving the crowd a two-step. Next, Snoopy kicked off the festivities by tapping his cane on the ground three times.
Read more: Is Snoop Dogg getting paid $500,000 a day for Olympics coverage?
Watch some highlights from the Paris 2024 Olympics breaking news below.
