Japan’s b-girl Ami wins Olympic breaking’s first gold medal

ARIS (AP) — Japanese B-girl Ami won the gold medal Friday in the first Olympic breaking event, in front of 16 other dancers, performing spins, somersaults and top rocks. It was a contest of high energy that may never be repeated in future competitions.

Ami (real name: Yuasa Ami) won all three rounds against Lithuanian B-girl Nikka (Dominika Banevich) to win the gold medal. This ended a long day of practice at the Place de la Concorde Stadium, where they brought hip-hop culture to the Olympic stage with their flow, rhythm and skill.

“Breaking is my expression,” Yuasa said. It’s an expression and an art, but I want to say breaking can also be part of a sport. The B-Girls wowed the crowd with power moves like head spins, windmills and backflips. Fans were in high spirits throughout the competition, which began in the afternoon and ended just before 10 p.m.

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In the quarterfinals, eight of the original 17 B-Girls competed against each other in a three-round knockout match for a spot in the finals. Banevich won the silver medal, while China’s B-Girl 671 (Liu Qingyi) took the bronze medal against the Netherlands’ B-Girl India (India Sarjo) competing to The Roots’ “Boom!” Liu is a relative newcomer to the breaking scene. “I needed a break because the Olympics are like a breath of fresh air,” Banevich said. “So many people are watching ‘Breaking’ for the first time. It’s huge.” “I’m thrilled to have been able to represent the art form of breakdancing at the highest level.”

American disappointment at Olympic breaking

Both American B-Girls were eliminated in the first round, a blow to the country considered the birthplace of hip hop and breaking culture. B-Girl Logistx (real name Logan Edler) and B-Girl Sunny (Sunny Choi) both placed in the top 12 internationally but did not make it to the quarterfinals. “I still feel like I was able to shine and represent dance and have had some moments,” Logistx said. “This is such a big opportunity and such a big platform and I’m really happy to be here.”

Breaking Makes Olympic Debut

A nine-judge panel of B-boys and B-girls from around the world assessed the breakers according to the Trivium rating system: technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality and originality. Each of these points is worth 20% of the rating in the final score.

Each of the B-Girls first caught the beat while doing a series of stand-up dances called “top-rocking” before launching into footwork moves on the dance floor. The soundtrack to their routine was a surprise for each of them, as two DJs played records on turntables behind the judges.

The judges sat between a circular dance floor modeled on a vinyl record and a giant replica of a boombox. This was a tribute to the musical roots of breaking, the moment when the vocals of the song come in and the DJ creates the beat, the breakbeat itself. Over and over again. This is how B-boys and B-girls make their mark on the dance floor.

Breaking is assessed qualitatively due to its roots as an art form, and the judges score each round and match using a sliding scale, adjusting the scale for the breakers who win in each of the above criteria. Throughout the event, two presenters will get the crowd going by reacting to each breaker’s personality and signature moves.

The challenge for the organizers was to bring breaking and hip hop culture to a large audience, including many who were skeptical of the inclusion of dance forms in the Olympic program. But after Friday’s Combat Marathon, there’s no longer any doubt about his athleticism and physical ability.

In addition to physical ability, breakers had to be careful to show off their style and individuality, which is an important part of hip-hop and breaking culture. On Friday, a total of 33 breakers from 15 countries and the Refugee Olympic Team wrote Olympic history. On Saturday, B-boys will take to the stage for what will be their only chance to compete for the title of Olympic god for the time being. Breaking was added as an Olympic event in the Paris Games, but it will not be on the program in Los Angeles in 2028.

Before the competition began, American rapper Snoop Dogg entered the stadium to the soundtrack of “Drop It Like It’s Hot,” and the stands cheered and danced. The presenters introduced the 17 B-Girls who will be competing on Friday, with the French and American B-Girls receiving the biggest applause from the crowd.