PARIS — India Sarjo is 18, with a mouth full of braces, and she’s looking for her.
“I really enjoy exchanging pins in the Olympic Village,” she said after competing in her first Olympic breaking event at La Concorde on Friday. The 2022 world champion, known as B-Girl India in breaking games, was one of the favorites heading into the competition but was eliminated from the medal race after losing to China’s B-Girl 671, aka Liu Qingyi, in the bronze medal match.
In the end, Japan’s B-girl Ami (real name Ami Yuasa) won the gold medal over Lithuania’s B-girl Dominika Banevič.
“I wasn’t really focused on the medal,” Ami said. “In the final, I just wanted to show … everything I had. And I think I did that, right.”
A large, enthusiastic and occasionally curious crowd, featuring Snoop Dogg in the afternoon session and IOC President Thomas Bach in the evening session, helped kick off the new sport of breaking, which will not be part of the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. The afternoon brought a thrilling twist when Afghanistan’s Manija Talassi revealed a cape that read “Free Afghan Women” under her jumper during her qualifying match against India. Manasi, who is part of the Refugee Olympic Team of 37 refugee athletes from around the world, was officially disqualified from the game, but had already been disqualified on points before she showed her cape.
The debate will continue over whether breaking is a departure from its past, when it was first ingrained in black American culture by young black teenagers in the Bronx in the early 1970s, and was quickly followed by Latino kids in the city. But for those who have tried to get breaking included in the Olympics, after a decade of lobbying and shaping through breaking leagues around the world, Friday was a big moment.
The most important thing is: people were watching on TV. Some were watching intently. Of course, it wasn’t universally loved. But what about today?
Issues such as the appropriation and erasure of the original breaking culture need to be amplified and heard, but I couldn’t help but be impressed by the incredible international flavor of the first event held here, reflecting the diverse perspectives and histories of the approximately 30 million breakers worldwide.
B-Girl Ami (Japan’s Ami Yuasa) won gold in the Olympic breaking event on Friday. “I just wanted to show everything I had,” she said. (Elsa/Getty Images)
The evening was loud and wild. The stage for the DJ and judges was set up like a boombox, reminiscent of the old days.
MC Friday, Malik and Max were from France and Portugal respectively. The DJs were American (DJ Fleg) and Polish (DJ Plash One). The music they played was varied. “Heart ‘n Soul” by Booker T. Averheart, “Family Affair” by MFSB, “Blow Your Whistle” by DC go-go legends Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers, “Mu Africa” by The Rift Valley Brothers, “Boom!” by The Roots.
The final eight women were from France, Japan (B-Girl Ami and B-Girl Ayumi), China (B-Girl 671 and B-Girl Ying Zi), Ukraine (B-Girl Kate), France (B-Girl Syssy), Netherlands (B-Girl India) and Lithuania (B-Girl Nicka). Two American breakers, B-Girl Sunny (Sunny Choi) and B-Girl Logistx (Logan Edra), were eliminated before the quarterfinals. American breaker B-Boy Victor (Victor Montalvo) is one of the favorites to medal among the men in the men’s event on Saturday.
“Honestly, I haven’t processed everything yet,” said Kate (real name Katerina Pavlenko), who lost in the quarterfinals. “But I can’t believe it’s over. I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. Now it’s over. I feel good. I thought everyone did well, and I think the presentation (of breaking) is top-notch among B-girls. I’m really happy to be in the top eight of the best B-girls in the world.”
The athleticism of many of the breakers was amazing, and they did top locks and down locks. B-Girl Ami, who seemed to have no fixed spine, dominated France’s B-Girl Syssy 3-0 in the opening quarterfinals, then narrowly won against India 2-1 in the semifinals. B-Girl 671 seemed to balance on her head and somehow change direction. Nicka didn’t so much as spin as float along the floor. Nicka won 671 2-1 in the semifinals, and 671 beat India for the bronze medal.
Later, someone asked 671 if her tears were because she was happy about winning the bronze medal or because she missed her chance at winning the gold medal.
“Both,” she said. “My first Olympics, my medal, first of all, I’m happy. But also, the fight ended a bit (badly). But I’ll keep going.”
From left, B-Girl Nicka (silver), B-Girl Ami (gold), and B-Girl 671 (bronze) show off their medals in the opening Olympic breaking event. (Elsa / Getty Images)
B-Girl Kate moved to Los Angeles just before Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022. Her family is still there, so using Breaking Bad to send a message of hope and possibility to her hometown is all the more urgent for her.
“It’s very important because I was born there,” she said Friday. “That’s where I was formed as a person. That’s where I became who I am. I thought it might not be fair to represent another country because of Ukraine. I’m Ukrainian. I was born and raised there. I left early. I know that a lot of b-boys and b-girls are watching me, and it gives them a little bit of hope that I can represent. Someone they can look up to. That’s the biggest reward for me. … If I can inspire or move people in Ukraine with my dance, I’m happy.”
There will probably never be a happy marriage of old school and new school. A marriage of convenience may be the best that can be done. The desire to monetize and showcase breakdancing on a larger platform in the United States will make it impossible to keep it under the watchful eye and influence of the originators of the art form. But many of the new generation of breakdancing and breakdancing artists must pay attention to the originators and innovators who created the dance, and understand whose shoulders they stand on.
“It’s a huge responsibility to represent and raise the bar for breaking every time,” Nika said Friday. “Because they did an incredible job. Huge respect to the OGs and the pioneers who invented all that technology. It wouldn’t have been possible without them. Thank you to them.”
Go deeper
Ukrainian Breaker’s Paris Olympic Journey
(B-Girl Army pictured above during the Olympic breaking event on Friday: Elsa / Getty Images)
