Canada's Phil Wizard Wins First-Ever Olympic Gold Medal in Men's Breakdancing
The Vancouver-based B-Boy born Philip Kim won the competition at the 2024 Paris games for the event officially called breaking.
Philip Kim a.k.a. Phil Wizard
Breakdancing debuted as an Olympic sport at the 2024 Olympics in Paris, and a Canadian competitor became a winner in its first year.
The Vancouver-based Phil Wizard, born Philip Kim, took home the gold in breaking, beating France's own Dany Dann in the final.
Breaking won't be at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, but the art form that began on the streets of the Bronx as one of the four pillars of hip-hop was well represented at this year's event. The men's tournament, which took place on August 10, was filled with impressive moves as dancers battled each other one-on-one.
Unlike other music-based events like rhythmic gymnastics or synchronized swimming, the breakers didn't know which songs they would be dancing to, which meant there was a heavy dose of improv. The DJ played plenty of hip-hop classics, from A Tribe Called Quest's "Scenario" to Method Man's "Judgement Day" to "Live at the Barbeque" by New York/Toronto group Main Source.
Phil Wizard and his competitors busted out some head-spinning moves, showing off the art of breaking to the world after a competitor at the previous day's women's tournament went viral for different reasons. Raygun a.k.a. Rachael Gunn, a 36-year-old professor from Sydney, Australia, was the talk of the internet for her less-than-crisp bunny hops and sprinklers.
But the response was more uniformly positive for the men's competition, including the 30-year-old American B-Boy Victor, who took home bronze.
27-year-old Philip Kim was born to Korean parents in Toronto before moving to Vancouver. He was given the name Phil Wizard because he was part of a team called the Wizard Crew, though he's said he wouldn't have chosen it himself. He also said this was the first time his father had ever seen him breaking.
“This is history in the making for us. So it’s incredible," Wizard told the Olympics website. "I hope it opens doors for people...I hope that today was a perfect example of showing the world how incredible breaking is. That was truly my only goal here. I’m so grateful and I’m so happy to come out with the win. But more than anything, I just want to show the world what breaking is. And I think we did a fantastic job today of doing that.”
