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PARIS — He struts and he steps, he bounces and he breaks and he endlessly entertains. He’s Philip Kim by his Canadian passport however, because the Olympic gold-medalist that he grew to become right here in wildly entertaining vogue on Saturday night, he’s Phil Wizard.

And that tells you all that you’ll want to know in regards to the B-boy magic that unfolded at La Concorde Enviornment when the 27-year-old Wizard — or Kim, your alternative — overcame his fears and triumphed on the most important stage for his sport.

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“I used to be stressed of my thoughts,” Kim stated, the tears barely dried from the medal ceremony during which he grew to become Canada’s ninth gold winner and twenty seventh medallist total. “(On Friday) I cried my eyes out as a result of I used to be so scared to do that.

“There’s been lots of strain, lots of expectations. I used to be glad I used to be in a position to ship however greater than something I’m glad I loved the second. I actually had lots of enjoyable at the moment. That is historical past within the making for us.”

Historical past in so some ways. As a first-time Olympic sport — and, for now, one-and-done — he’s the perfect B-boy the Video games have ever seen. However extra importantly from Kim’s perspective, the efficiency helped to help the game he loves a lot.

“I by no means thought I’d be right here in my life,” Kim stated earlier than he shared hugs with a giant group of household and buddies who had been within the energetic crowd at one of many coolest stadiums at Paris 2024 to look at their pal and hero. “I’m simply joyful. I’m joyful I delivered. I’m joyful my family members had been right here. I’m nonetheless processing all of it. I doubted myself for my complete life. To be right here, really it means quite a bit.”

Kim, the entertaining, athletic B.C. breaker, actually placed on a present, all proper. It was a wild environment within the last as sundown arrived on the final full day of those Video games. And as a lot because the gilded prize round his neck meant a lot, the present and the prospect what it would do for his sport meant a lot extra.

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“I hope it open doorways for folks. I’ve devoted my life to this,” Kim stated. “So did all of the folks competing at the moment and I feel it’s an under-appreciated sport. I feel at the moment was an unbelievable instance of exhibiting the world how nice breaking is. That was really my solely aim right here.”

The ceremony, after he defeated native right here and the delight of Paris, Dany Dan — actual identify Daniel Lakoué — was an emotional scene as Kim choked up and needed to cease singing the anthem as he wiped away tears.

It was an inventive and athletic triumph for Wizard — and sure, Olympic sports activities will be and infrequently is each — even when there may be some explaining to do.

“Lots of people may have a look at us and never perceive what we’re doing. However to an skilled breaker we’re showcasing originality, musicality and variety,” stated Wizard, who was born in Toronto. “For me, this has all the time been my dream. I’ve all the time wished to reside off of breaking. And the folks I compete in opposition to on the stage are the people who I grew up watching and I look as much as.
“So for me, it’s a pleasure simply to be up there and representing my nation now on a stage and scale like this.”

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Kim is actually one of the partaking Canadian athletes right here, a dude enthusiastic about his sport and decided to assist it develop. Sure, breaking is a one-and-done sport not on the menu for Los Angeles 2028 after making its debut right here. And sure, it’s a judged occasion that takes some getting used to, each in its model and what’s wanted for achievement.

For leisure, although, there’s no denying breaking strikes the meter. With that in thoughts, it actually was a scene at La Concorde, as city a setting as you’ll discover in downtown Paris for the final word city sport.

The followers had been loving it, even when they weren’t fully understanding it because the boos after favoured American Victor downed Japan’s Hiro10 in a single “battle” of the round-robin section. The latter had a kick-ass bodily efficiency, the previous a extra judge-friendly inventive effort.

“They booed as a result of the physicality that Hiro10 has was superb,” Victor defined. “I don’t have that kind of physicality, however I beat him differently, which was originality, which was dancing, which was having my very own model and never repeating. I perceive why they booed as a result of that is their first time watching breaking they usually don’t know the way it’s judged.”

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They might not have fully understood it, however they beloved it.

The crowds had been festive and vocal and people with out tickets lined up 10 deep or extra in spots on the surface to take in the environment and improve the vibe. Exterior of the stadium, youngsters of all ages — I noticed one as younger as two — had been breaking out their strikes between periods.

The game is made for viral moments as properly, in fact, as we noticed with the B-girls explosion from Aussie Raygun’s efforts the earlier evening.

Again to Wizard, who breezed by way of the round-robin section successful all three of his battles, after which defeated Lee of the Netherlands within the quarterfinal, setting the stage for his medal run. Judges recreation him the 3-0 determination over Shigekix establishing the gold-medal showdown with Dan.

Victor, the 2023 world champ and thus the gold medal favorite right here, is a giant backer of Canada’s finest breaker.
“Phil Wizard is superb,” Victor stated. “He’s bought the method down. He jogs my memory of me. He began figuring it out, began performing and stored on getting higher and higher and higher.

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“He’s so distinctive — lots of threads and unconventional kind actions. He’s additionally tremendous musical and a showman on stage. He is aware of tips on how to adapt within the second and has that surprising issue to the beat.”

Breaking’s considerably controversial addition to the Olympic menu — after which sudden departure — can’t be simple for the athletes. It should be particularly vexing given the large crowds at La Concorde on Saturday.

It’s typically tough to foretell how a brand new sport is acquired at an Olympics — or the way it bought there within the first place. The clear impetus was to attraction to a younger crowd and, in its debut right here, that was certainly completed. It was bittersweet, nonetheless, given the short erasure from the menu.

“In fact, it’s disappointing for us, however I feel my focus and everybody’s focus is simply to placed on a great present,” Wizard stated. “I need folks to fall in love with breaking the way in which I fell in love with it after I first began and I feel the Olympics shouldn’t be the be all and finish all.

“I feel it’s unlucky as a result of I’ve really fallen in love with the method and the sports activities world and assembly different athletes and being part of Crew Canada. It’s been really an honour and I’m very unhappy that this will probably be a one-and-done. However I’ve a really optimistic mindset going ahead. I feel persons are falling in love with breaking and, for me, that’s all the time been the aim — to develop this sport.”

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Victor feels the identical approach. The tradition of breaking is such that it may be inventive and entertaining, but in addition aggressive with a profound sense of camaraderie among the many dancer athletes.

“Individuals can choose their favorite character,” Victor stated. “We’re all characters. All of us have our completely different kinds and it’s so cool to look at.

“However I’m excited that the Olympics put breaking on the map as a result of now they get to see a brand new and developed model of breaking, not the breaking from the Nineteen Seventies, the breaking from now that everybody has been lacking out on.”

They weren’t lacking a lot on Saturday. The present. The feeling. And a giant gold Canadian medal.

Breaking information it was.

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