Canadian breaker B-Boy Phil Wizard (Philip Kim) on Saturday conjured up a gold medal and a ticket to the Paris Olympics, taking top spot on the podium in the first Pan American Games breakdancing competition.
The US’ B-Girl Sunny (Grace Choi) is also going to Paris after she claimed the women’s gold on a historic day for a sport that is facing an uncertain future.
Break dancing’s addition to the Paris Olympic program raised eyebrows among traditionalists, but its status as an official sport might be short-lived after being passed over for inclusion in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.
Photo: AP
With the possibility of break dancing being one-and-done as an Olympic sport, the Pan American Games took on greater significance with gold medalists getting a coveted quota spot and a chance to perhaps go down in history as the sport’s only Olympic champion.
“Honestly the Olympic place means more to me, I want to be there, I want to be part of history,” said Kim, after adding Pan American gold to his world championship title from last year.
“To be completely honest I had already secured my spot because Victor [Montalvo] from the US had already won the world championships, so two US people cannot get a direct quota in breaking,” Kim said. “Going into the finals I had already secured my spot, but it gave me more of push because it would have been bitter sweet to secure my place and lose the battle.”
Known for his creativity Kim blended artistry and athleticism in his gold medal battle with the US B-Boy Jeffro (Jeffrey Lewis) earning a perfect 3-0 score from the nine judges.
“My focus has always been respecting myself,” the 26-year-old Canadian said. “The way I approach breaking is always originality and creativity first, because that is just what I like doing and I think I presented that today.”
“To be a part of history for me really means the world,” he added.
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