Japanese b-girl Ami wins first gold medal at Olympics

“Breaking is my expression,” Yuasa said. It’s an “expression, an art, but I want to say that breaking can also be part of sports.”

B-girls stunned the crowd with power moves like headspins, windmills and backflips. Fans remained energized throughout the competition, which started in the afternoon and ended just before 10 p.m.

From the quarterfinal stage, eight b-girls from the original 17 competed in three-round knockout matches to reach the final. Banevic won the silver medal and China’s b-girl 671 (Liu Qingyi) took the bronze after battling b-girl India (India Sardjo) from the Netherlands to “Boom!” by The Roots. Liu is a relative newcomer to the breaking scene.

“The Olympics had to break because it’s a breath of fresh air,” Banevič said. “So many people saw breaking for the first time, it’s huge. And I’m glad I was able to represent the art form of breaking at the highest level.”

Both American b-girls were eliminated in the first round, a blow to the country that represents the birthplace of hip-hop and breaking culture. B-girl Logistx (legal name Logan Edra) and b-girl Sunny (Sunny Choi) were both in the top 12 internationally, but failed to make it past the quarterfinals.

“I feel like I still shined and I still represented dance and had some moments,” Logistx said. “It was such a big opportunity, it’s such a big platform and I’m really happy that we’re here.”

A panel of nine judges, all b-boys and b-girls from all over the world, judged the breakers based on the Trivium rating system: based on technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality and originality – each counting for 20 percent of the final score.

Each of the b-girls began by catching the beat as they danced while standing on their feet — a sequence called “toprocking” — before launching into their footwork moves on the floor. The soundtrack to their routines was a surprise for each of them, as two DJs spun records on a turntable set up behind the judges.

The judges were seated between the circular floor, modeled after a record, and a giant replica of a boombox, a nod to the musical foundation of breaking — the breakbeat itself — the moment when a song’s vocals drop out and the DJ repeats the beat over and over again, allowing b-boys and b-girls to make their mark on the dance floor.

Breaking is judged qualitatively due to its roots as an art form, and judges use a sliding scale to score each round and battle, adjusting the scale based on the breaker who wins in each of the above criteria. Throughout the event, two emcees respond to each breaker’s personalities and signature moves to get the crowd pumped up.

The challenge for organizers was to bring breaking and hip-hop culture to a large audience, including many viewers who were skeptical about the dance form being added to the Olympic roster. But after Friday’s marathon of fights, there is no doubt about the athleticism and physical prowess.

In addition to their physical abilities, breakers also had to ensure that they showed their style and individuality, which is essential to the culture of hip hop and breaking.

A total of 33 breakers, representing 15 countries and the Refugee Olympic Team, made Olympic history on Friday. On Saturday, the b-boys will take the stage in what may be their only chance to compete for gold at the Olympics for the foreseeable future. Breaking was added as an Olympic sport for Paris, but is not scheduled for Los Angeles in 2028.

Before the battle began, American rapper Snoop Dogg made a grand entrance into the stadium to the soundtrack of “Drop it Like it’s Hot”, which brought cheers and dancing from the stands. The emcees introduced the 17 b-girls who would compete in Friday’s battle, with the b-girls from France and the US receiving the loudest applause from the crowd.