Hangzhou, Republic of China: Ramesh Yadav, also known as B-boy Tornado, emerged as the sole Indian participant to advance past the pre-selection stage at the Asian Breaking Championship 2023, held in Hangzhou. The two-day breaking competition also served as a qualifier for the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, where breaking will make its debut as an official Olympic sport.
Yadav secured the 16th position in the pre-selection stage with a score of 648.3, earning him a spot in the pre-qualifiers. However, in a 1vs1 contest, he faced a tough challenge from B-boy Lilbom of Japan and lost with scores of 0:9 and 1:8, thus failing to progress to the round-robin stage. Meanwhile, India’s Suraj Raut (B-boy Suraj) and Ankit Kushwah (B-boy Antique) ranked 64th and 70th, respectively, in the pre-selections and were unable to advance beyond the opening round.
Claiming the gold medal in the men’s competition was the Republic of Korea’s Heonwoo Kim, known as B-boy Wing, while China’s Xiaoyu Shang, or B-boy X-Rain, secured the silver. The bronze medal went to the Republic of Korea’s Hongyul Kim, also known as B-boy Hongten.
The event featured a total of 73 B-boys, with the top 32 performers from the pre-selections progressing to the pre-qualifiers. In intense 1v1 battles, the 16 winners advanced to the round-robin stage, from which the final eight finalists were selected.
In the women’s event, Simran Ranga, also known as B-girl Glib, was the highest-ranked Indian participant, finishing 21st out of 44 dancers in the pre-selections. Shreya Dunna, known as B-girl Shreya, secured the 24th position in the pre-selections. However, only the top 16 performers in the B-girl competition progressed to the round-robin stage.
Notably, Sushma Satish Aithal, competing as B-girl Sushma, was initially expected to participate but did not compete in the Hangzhou meet.
In the women’s division, Japan’s Ayumi Fukushima, known as B-girl Ayumi, claimed the title of Asian B-girl champion, while her compatriot Ami Yuasa, or B-girl Ami, secured the silver medal. The Republic of Korea’s Jiye Jeon, also known as B-girl Fresh Bella, finished in third place, earning the bronze medal.
With the conclusion of the Asian Breaking Championship 2023, the spotlight now turns to the upcoming Paris 2024 Olympics, where the top two B-boys and B-girls from the Asian Championships have secured direct berths to compete in the historic debut of breaking as an Olympic sport. As the breaking community continues to grow and gain recognition worldwide, participants and fans eagerly anticipate the exciting battles that lie ahead in this dynamic discipline.
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