Breaking, an acrobatic street dance form originating from the Bronx in the 1980s, made its Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Games, featuring power moves.
The breaking competition featured 1v1 improvised rounds to DJ music, with b-boys and b-girls showcasing moves like Windmills, The 6-step, and Freezes. Judging evaluated technique, execution, musicality, originality, and vocabulary.
Ami Yuasa, a Japanese b-girl and three-time world championships medalist, won the inaugural Olympic gold medal in the women's breaking event, defeating Lithuania's Dominika Banevič (Nicka) in the final with impressive air flairs, halos, spins, flips, and toprocking moves. China's Liu Qingyi (b-girl "671") took the bronze medal.
B-girl Manizha Talash, a former member of the 'Superiors Crew' in Kabul, Afghanistan, fled her country in 2021 due to the Taliban's restrictions on women in sports. Her participation in the Olympics, representing the IOC Refugee team, served as a statement against the ban.
American rapper Snoop Dogg made a grand entrance as the battles began, adding to the excitement.
Sources: AP News, NBC News, Le Monde, USA Today, Reuters, Axios, Washington Times, Independent, Forbes, CBC, Al Jazeera, Washington Examiner, Japan Times, Yomiuri, Sportstar.
This article was written in collaboration with Generative AI news company Alchemiq.
