The Paris 2024 Olympics welcomed several new sports this year, one of which was breaking. More commonly referred to as breakdancing, the sport – a fundamental part of hip-hop culture – originated in the Bronx in the 1980s, but only made its Olympic debut this year at the Place de la Concorde stadium. The first gold trophies in the event were Canada's Phil Wizard, who beat France's Dany Dann in the b-boys gold medal battle, and Japan's Ami, who edged out Lithuania's Nicka in the b-girls gold medal battle . Check out their respective winning looks below.
A panel of nine judges graded all contestants on five criteria: technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality and originality. Both b-boys and b-girls could not choose their performance music. Instead, two DJs played records on a turntable behind the judges, enhancing an element of surprise and improvisation in the sport. The Breakers also had to show off their own style and individuality in their moves.
Earlier today (August 11), a packed cast of musicians performed at the closing ceremony of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Phoenix brought out Air, Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig, Angèle, Kavinsky and more for their big set celebrating the France, while HER performed the American national anthem. To symbolize the handover from Paris to Los Angeles, the upcoming host city of the 2028 Olympic Games, a group of American musicians appeared on the city's famous beaches: Red Hot Chili Peppers, Billie Eilish, Snoop Dogg and Dr. Dre.
