Japan, Lithuania and China win first breaking medals in the history of the Games

Japanese b-girl Ami won the first gold medal in breaking in the history of the competition on Friday. Olympicsaccompanied on the podium by Lithuanian Nicka and Chinese 671, who won silver and bronze, respectively.

In a thrilling duel held at dusk on the Place de la Concorde in Paris, the scene of urban sports at this Olympic event, Ami outdid Nicka with her steps and acrobatics in the final, which left a final score of 3-0, with a total of 16 votes from the judges in favour of the Asian and 11 for the European.

Ami, whose full name is Ami Yuasa and comes from the city of Kawaguchi, has been crowned the queen of a specialty that has never before been present at the Games at the age of 25.

The Olympic gold medal adds to a list of achievements that already included the top spots in women’s individual breaking at the 2022 and 2019 world championships.

Nicka, Dominika Banevic’s alias, comes from Vilnius and is only 17 years old, but she was world champion in 2023.

Shortly before the final between the Japanese and the Lithuanian, the Chinese 671 had won the bronze medal against the Dutch India by 1 (8)-2 (19).

After the b-girls, who debuted Olympic breaking today, this Saturday, which is the penultimate day of Paris 2024, it will be the turn of the b-boys to compete for the breaking medals.

This type of dance, which mixes hybrid musical styles such as breakbeat, funk, rap and soul, was included in the Olympic competitions as part of the new disciplines programme.

Although it requires intense cardiovascular, muscular and coordination work, it is a bet for Paris 2024 – after its success at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires – that has not been exempt from criticism from those who do not consider this practice a true sport.

It takes place to the music of a DJ accompanied by a Master of Ceremonies (MC) and the competitive format works with a breaker (who can also work as a team) who dances by lying on the floor.

The opponent responds with similar moves and the judges pass judgment on points, based on six criteria, including technique and creativity.

Breaking, unlike other street sports that have also held their Olympic tournaments in temporary stadiums built in the monumental Place de la Concorde, such as skateboarding or 3×3 basketball, will not be in Los Angeles 2028.

This makes the medals in Paris even more special, as it is not yet known whether this discipline, which emerged in the Bronx as one of the pillars of hip-hop culture, will once again be an Olympic event.