China's Liu Qingyi (B-Girl 671) celebrates after winning the final against Lithuania's Dominika Banevic (B-Girl Nicka) at the third stop of World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) Breaking for Gold (BFG) World Series in Montpellier, France, on May 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Xiao Yazhuo)
MONTPELLIER, France, May 18 (Xinhua) -- Chinese B-Girl 671 seized her second championship triumph in three WDSF Breaking for Gold (BfG) World Series events on Thursday, advancing to the final round on the scenic Lez River stage and securing a 3-0 victory over European champion B-Girl Nicka.
Canadian B-Boy Phil Wizard outperformed Japan's B-Boy Shigekix 3-0 to seize the men's title, while B-Boy X-Rain posted the highest record for Chinese men's breakers at a BfG event, succumbing to Phil Wizard in the quarterfinals.
To earn her place in her third consecutive BfG World Series final, 671 had to best home favorite B-Girl Syssy in the semi-finals. This followed her first-place finishes in Kitakyushu, Japan, and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
"The semifinal was my peak performance today. Perhaps because Syssy's home supporters were exceptionally enthusiastic, I was equally energized," 671 conveyed to Xinhua following the win.
"Truthfully, I wasn't operating at my full capacity during the final. I was aware that Nicka recently clinched the European Championships and was hitting her stride, so I needed to approach it with caution, possibly hindering my performance to some degree," 671 reflected on the final.
However, with her high-difficulty power moves and superior musical interpretation, 671 managed to claim the final with a decisive 3-0 win.
"I hope I can maintain this momentum and, hopefully, next year we will hear the Chinese anthem at the Olympic Games' breaking event once again," 671 expressed.
The current world No.1 B-Girl, Ami of Japan, recovered from her semi-final defeat to Nicka and outperformed Syssy in the third-place match.
American B-Boy Gravity secured the men's bronze medal, besting Team GB's B-Boy Sunni 2-1 in the third-place match.
In total, 32 breakers - comprising 16 B-Boys and 16 B-Girls - will vie for glory on 9 and 10 August 2024 at the iconic Place de la Concorde. The first Olympic medals in dance sport will then be up for grabs. ■
China's Liu Qingyi (B-Girl 671, left) celebrates with Chinese breaking team head coach Mounir Biba (1st R) after winning the final against Lithuania's Dominika Banevic (B-Girl Nicka) at the third stop of World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) Breaking for Gold (BFG) World Series in Montpellier, France, on May 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Xiao Yazhuo)
Canada's Philip Kim (B-Boy Phil Wizard, right) performs as Japan's Shigeyuki Nakarai (B-Boy Shigekix) looks on during the final of the Adult Breaking 1vs1 B-Boys event at the third stop of World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) Breaking for Gold (BFG) World Series in Montpellier, France, on May 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Xiao Yazhuo)
First-placed Philip Kim (B-Boy Phil Wizard, center) of Canada, second-placed Nakarai Shigeyuki (B-Boy Shigekix, left) of Japan and third-placed Miguel Angel Rosario (B-Boy Gravity) of the United States pose on the podium during the awarding ceremony at the third stop of World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) Breaking for Gold (BFG) World Series in Montpellier, France, on May 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Xiao Yazhuo)
First-placed Liu Qingyi (B-Girl 671) of China poses on the podium during the awarding ceremony at the third stop of World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) Breaking for Gold (BFG) World Series in Montpellier, France, on May 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Xiao Yazhuo)
China's Liu Qingyi (B-Girl 671) performs during the final against Lithuania's Dominika Banevic (B-Girl Nicka) at the third stop of World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) Breaking for Gold (BFG) World Series in Montpellier, France, on May 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Xiao Yazhuo)
First-placed Liu Qingyi (B-Girl 671, center) of China, second-placed Dominika Banevic (B-Girl Nicka, left) of Lithuania and third-placed Yuasa Ami (B-Girl Ami) of Japan pose on the podium during the awarding ceremony at the third stop of World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) Breaking for Gold (BFG) World Series in Montpellier, France, on May 18, 2023. (Xinhua/Xiao Yazhuo)
