After breakdancing was announced as a sport for Paris 2024, some were doubtful and some were excited, and among those who were excited was Canada’s Phil Wizard who has just defeated home favourite Dany Dann to become the first-ever gold medalist in breaking. With his jaw-dropping moves at Paris 2024, the 27-year-old Wizard bamboozled his opponents and cruised past them to win the supreme title.
During finals, Phil Wizard left everyone speechless after winning the first round 5-4 and then clean swapping with 9-0 and 9-0 to stake his authority at the crown. With his acrobatic style, Phil Wizard made everyone stand by the end of the final round, which all but ensured his place in history as the first gold medalist in the history of breaking.
PHIL WIZARD MAKES GOLDEN MAGIC 🥇
— CBC Olympics (@CBCOlympics) August 10, 2024
Canada’s Phil Kim, aka Phil Wizard, is the first-ever Olympic champion in B-Boys breaking 🇨🇦#MedalMoments presented by @petrocanada pic.twitter.com/dbGDE1vbKc
“I hope that today was a perfect example of showing the world how incredible breaking is — that was truly my only goal here,” said the Phil Wizard to Al Jazeera
“I’m so grateful and so happy to come out with the win, but more than anything I just wanted to show the world what breaking is.”
There was quite a bit of one-sidedness in Phil Wizard’s journey to the final as he crushed most of his opponents throughout his games. During the event’s semifinals, Wizard was matched up against the top seed Shigekix of Japan, in a battle between two of the sport’s biggest stars.
Throughout all three rounds, the Canadian got the nod from the judges, earning 17-10 for his Japanese opponent. After a tight first round, at which Wizard won 5-4, he then went on to win both of the next two rounds by a combined score of 6-3.
Fans Lit Up Paris 2024
Although there are clouds over whether we will be able to see breaking in the Olympics once again, spectators had their fair share of thrills and twists watching the events. The Paris crowd was banging in the finals for their French star, which created a huge pressure moment for Phil Wizard, who was under a lot of pressure after his first round, which was not quite perfect.
Phil Wizard spoke to Jamaica Observer about the pressure of the crowds in the battle if the wave is against you:
“I was stressed out of my mind, It’s been a whirlwind of emotion. I cried my eyes out because I was so scared to do this. There’s been a lot of pressure, a lot of expectations — I’m glad I was able to deliver.”
Regarding the event’s debut in the Olympics, the world’s reaction has been somewhat of a seesaw, raising doubts over how the sport will be carried forward in future Olympic games, but Phil Wizard’s name is etched into history as the first Olympic gold medalist in breaking.
