B-boy Legend Bulhok's Historic First Gold Medal Challenge [Paris Olympics]

Breaking Draws the Most Attention Among New Events
Korean B-boy Legend Hongten Challenges for a Medal
"I Will Aim for a High Position at the Olympics"

There was a sport that drew attention at last year's Hangzhou Asian Games. It was eSports. Among them, Street Fighter was popular. Kim Gwan-woo (born 1979) showed the strength of a 'seasoned' gamer by winning a gold medal at an age beyond forty. The Paris Olympics, opening on the 26th (local time), will feature 32 official sports. Among them, there are newly added sports: breaking, sport climbing, skateboarding, and surfing, totaling four. The most attention-grabbing is breaking.

Player Kim Hong-yeol. [Source=Yonhap News]

Breaking was adopted as an official Olympic sport for the first time at this Paris Games. Korea is placing its hopes on Kim Hong-yeol (nickname Hongten). At the first round of the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS), the final qualifying tournament held in Shanghai, China, last May, he ranked 4th, and in the second round, he improved his ranking by one step to win the bronze medal. He secured the ticket to Paris by finishing 2nd overall. He is the only Korean athlete competing in the breaking event. Leyrau Demir (Netherlands), who won both tournaments consecutively, will participate in the Paris Olympic stage as the top-ranked competitor.

Kim Hong-yeol is demonstrating a high-difficulty skill at the 2023 Hangzhou Asian Games. [Hangzhou=Yonhap News]

Kim Hong-yeol is a b-boy legend born in 1984. He started on the path of breaking by imitating simple moves demonstrated by a classmate in the second year of middle school. He won the Red Bull BC One Final, the world's most prestigious competition, three times in 2006, 2013, and 2023. Only Kim Hong-yeol and Menno van Horst (Netherlands) have achieved three wins in this competition. Kim Hong-yeol won a silver medal at last year's Hangzhou Asian Games. He served as the flag bearer for the Korean delegation at the closing ceremony, waving the Taegeukgi.

Kim Hong-yeol, who was the flag bearer at the closing ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Games, is returning home with the delegation holding the Taegeukgi. [Incheon Airport=Yonhap News]

Kim Hong-yeol's strengths lie in power moves and style moves. He skillfully blends power moves into his performance, making them seem one with the flow, atmosphere, and rhythm of the music. After stepping to the music on stage, he showcases flashy footwork on the floor, and performs astonishing moves by momentarily bending his back. His transitions from Thomas (a move where both hands touch the ground while sitting, lifting the hips, and spinning using centrifugal force of the legs) to Air Track (a move where he stands on his hands and vigorously spins his legs) are outstanding. His freezes (techniques where one or both hands touch the ground and hold a specific pose for several seconds during moves) are also remarkable.

Kim Hong-yeol is showcasing his dazzling dance skills in the breaking semifinals at the Hangzhou Asian Games. Hangzhou=Yonhap News

For Kim Hong-yeol, the Olympics in the sports domain is a 'challenge' itself. Breaking, which was previously in the cultural domain, has been recognized as a sport. He is determined to approach the Olympics with a joyful heart and achieve good results, including a medal. He smiled and said, "I want to say coolly that age is not a hindrance, but it actually is. After the matches, I was so exhausted that I collapsed from fatigue. Since there isn't much time left, I plan to push myself a bit more."

Although his stamina may be lower than that of younger players, he intends to showcase increasingly mature breaking performances using his experience as a weapon. "After dancing for about 26 years, I felt like 'I probably can't win anymore,' but I also felt that I was improving. I want to show that you can still compete even as you get older. I placed 3rd in the Olympic qualifiers, so I will aim for a higher position in the Olympic finals."

Kim Hong-yeol is smiling brightly while holding a trophy after securing his spot in the Paris Olympics main event.
[Photo by Dobong-gu]

The breaking event will be held in the latter part of the Paris Olympics, closing the games on August 10. Since it will be excluded from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, the Paris Olympics is likely to be the competition where the 'first and last' Olympic breaking gold medalists are crowned. Sixteen men and sixteen women will compete for the title of 'the first Olympic gold medalist.' First, they will be divided into four groups of four and compete in a round-robin 16th finals. Then, the top one or two from each group will advance to the quarterfinal knockout stage. All matches from the 16th finals round-robin to the finals will take place in one day, which is physically demanding. Kim Hong-yeol's training volume is more than twice that of other athletes. He smiled brightly and said, "I want to remain a diligent and exemplary athlete. Not only as an athlete but also as a dancer, I want to be remembered as a sincere person who sets an example for juniors."