Talya MinsbergChang W. Lee and
Breaking announced itself as an Olympic sport in Paris, making a memorable debut powered by a backbeat. Time will tell if the sport — really more of an art form — will become an Olympic staple, but it didn’t lack for exposure at these Games.
The competition came to a conclusion on Saturday with the men’s event in which Phil Kim of Canada, above, known as Wizard, took the gold medal. Danis Civil of France, known as Dany Dann, won silver and the American Victor Montalvo, known as B-Boy Victor, took the bronze.
The first Olympic medal in breaking was awarded on Saturday night to Ami Yuasa of Japan, known as B-Girl Ami. Dominika Banevic of Lithuania, known as B-Girl Nicka, earned the silver, and Liu Qingyi of China, known as B-Girl 671, took the bronze. That diverse podium shows just how far breaking, born in the Bronx in the 1970s, has spread globally.
While not everyone received positive reviews, the breakers were met with generous cheers and earnest curiosity at La Concorde in Paris. The hosts of the event, standing at the center of a stage built to look like a record, repeated a refrain every few minutes. “You are witnessing history,” they said.
It’s hard to say how breaking’s success at these Games will be evaluated. The event will not return to the Games in Los Angeles in 2028, but it could reappear in future Olympics. By then, a new generation will have to put its own spin on the sport.
Source: Elections - nytimes.com
