First gold medal for B-Girl Ami in breaking: 2024 Paris Olympics

PARIS: Japan’s B-Girl Ami won the first-ever gold medal in breaking at the Paris Olympics 2024 on Friday.

B-Girl Ami, or Ami Yuasa as commonly known, defeated Lithuania’s Dominika Banevič—B-Girl Nicka—with a 3-0 victory in the final.

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Bedecked in a pink sweatsuit and white hat, Yuasa impressed the judges with her performance. The dancers’ performance is judged on creativity, technique, variety, and musicality. She won all three of her preliminary battles.

The Japanese breakdancer breezed through the quarterfinals and semifinals to reach the final.

In the semifinals, B-Girl Ami overcame fan favourite Syssy—Sya Dembele—3-0 and then secured her place in the final with a 2-1 victory over India Sardjoe from the Netherlands.

China’s Liu Qingyi—B-Girl 671—claimed the bronze medal with a 2-1 win over India in the battle for third place.

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The men’s breaking event will take place on Saturday.

Breaking will not be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, making 2024 as the potential final appearance of the sport at the Olympics.

Breaking debuted at the Paris 2024 Olympics on August 9 and 10 at Place de la Concorde. This is the first time a dance sport has been included in the Olympics. The event is featuring 33 athletes, including 16 B-boys and 17 B-girls from 16 countries, competing in separate men’s and women’s categories.

The competition is set to start off with a round-robin stage, where 16 breakers in each category face off in groups. The top two from each group move on to the knockout rounds. Judging is based on technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality, and originality.

Breakers qualified for the Olympics through the 2023 WDSF World Championships, continental rankings, and a global Olympic qualifier series from March to June.