Canada's B-Boy Phil Wizard, also known as Philip Kim, claimed the inaugural Olympic men’s breaking gold in Paris, triumphing in the historic debut of breakdancing at the Games.
In Saturday’s final at the iconic Place de la Concorde, Phil Wizard defeated France’s B-Boy Dany Dann, while USA’s B-Boy Victor secured the bronze medal.
This event marked the first and potentially last appearance of breaking in the Olympics, as it has been excluded from the Los Angeles 2028 program.
Phil Wizard, a former world champion, expressed his hope that the Olympic spotlight would help elevate the status of breaking, which he described as an “underappreciated sport.”
He emphasized that his primary goal was to showcase the sport’s brilliance to a global audience. “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,” said the 27-year-old.
The competition featured 16 B-Boys competing in a series of battles, starting with a pool stage and progressing to a knockout round. In the final, Phil Wizard faced off against local favourite Dany Dann, whose real name is Danis Civil.
Despite the crowd’s initial support for the 36-year-old Frenchman, the Canadian captivated the audience with his outstanding routine, earning a 3-0 victory from the judges.
Reflecting on his win, Phil Wizard admitted to feeling immense pressure and anxiety leading up to the event, but he was ultimately relieved and elated to have delivered a winning performance.
“It’s been a whirlwind of emotion,” he said. “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.”
Follow us
