The Canadian defeated France’s Dany Dann in entrance of a cheering crowd to say the primary males’s gold medal in breaking.
Canadian B-Boy Phil Wizard has gained the primary ever gold medal in males’s breaking on the Paris Olympics and stated he hopes it is going to “open the doorways for folks” concerned within the high-energy dance sport.
Phil Wizard, actual identify Philip Kim, beat French B-Boy Dany Dann in Saturday’s remaining amid the opulent grandeur of the Place de la Concorde, whereas US B-Boy Victor took bronze.
Breakdancing, higher often called breakdancing, will make its first and presumably final look on the Olympic Video games, after being left off the Los Angeles 2028 programme.
Phil Wizard stated breaking was “an underrated sport” and hoped its Olympic debut would change folks’s minds.
“I hope in the present day was an ideal instance to indicate the world how wonderful breaking is. That was actually my solely purpose right here,” stated the 27-year-old, a former world champion.
“I’m very grateful and pleased to have gained, however greater than something, I simply wished to indicate the world what breaking is all about.”
The competitors featured 16 dancers, often called B-Boys, who confronted off in a sequence of battles, starting with a pool section earlier than shifting on to a knockout spherical.
Phil Wizard had the gang in opposition to him within the remaining in opposition to native hero Dany Dann, a 36-year-old with blue hair whose actual identify is Danis Civil.
However the Canadian quickly had them consuming out of his hand because of his unimaginable routine, for which the judges awarded him a 3-0 victory.
“I used to be very harassed,” Phil Wizard stated.
“It was a whirlwind of feelings. I cried buckets as a result of I used to be so scared to do that.
“There was quite a lot of stress and quite a lot of expectations. I’m glad I used to be in a position to meet them.”
‘All about self-expression’
Former European champion Danny Dann stated he felt like he had “represented breaking” to the world.
“I’m delighted, I actually didn’t assume I might win this medal,” he stated, revealing that he dyed his hair blue as a result of it was his “fortunate color”.
“I simply went there to see how issues had been going and I am going dwelling with a silver medal!”
Regardless of the spectacular strikes on show, Phil Wizard stated the judging panel was in search of “one thing new in each spherical.”
“You would possibly assume that it’s the extra explosive, loopy, dynamic strikes that rating probably the most factors,” he stated.
“However in breaking there are various completely different classes and an important factor is the originality and variety of the motion.”
B-Boys carry out on a round stage, accompanied by DJs enjoying hip-hop classics and MCs who get the gang going.
Breaking has its origins on the street events held within the Bronx, New York within the Nineteen Seventies.
B-Boy Victor, also referred to as Victor Montalvo, stated the competitors represented “the true essence of hip hop and breaking tradition.”
“We simply need to make certain we present everybody that it is a dance, initially,” stated Victor, who beat Japan’s Shigekix for the bronze medal.
“It’s all about self-expression, it’s all about originality. It’s not nearly huge strikes.”