by sportswriter Xiao Yazhuo
NAGOYA, Japan, Oct. 3 (Xinhua) -- China wrapped up the breaking competition at the 2026 Asian Games with one gold and two bronze medals on Saturday, with Guo Pu, B-Girl Royal, sweeping all three rounds of the women's final by unanimous judges' votes.
Royal defeated Japan's veteran Ayumi Fukushima, or B-Girl Ayumi, to claim the women's title, while defending champion Liu Qingyi, known as B-Girl 671, beat Japan's Ayane Nakarai, or B-Girl Ayane, in the bronze-medal battle.
With both Chinese women reaching the podium, China improved on its result from the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago, when 671 won the women's gold and China also took a bronze in the men's event.
The gold also added another major title to Royal's rapid rise over the past two years. In 2025, she won both the World Games and world championship titles, quickly establishing herself among the world's leading B-Girls.
Despite the emphatic scoreline in the final, Royal admitted she had been nervous before taking the floor.
"I was really nervous before the competition, but once I got on the stage, the music helped me relax. Those were classic breaking tracks that I really like," said Royal, who will celebrate her 18th birthday on Sunday.
She said she had not expected to win all the judges' votes in each of the three rounds, and spoke with admiration of Fukushima, who is 43 years old but remains competitive at the highest level.
"I really admire her," Royal said. "During the medal ceremony, I was thinking, when I am 40, will I still be able to dance like her and compete for my country?"
Royal also incorporated elements of Chinese martial arts into her routines.
"I have been studying these elements for some time, although I don't think I have fully understood all of the martial arts movements yet," she said. "I want people to see some elements of Chinese martial arts and traditional culture through my breaking."
For 671, the bronze brought a different ending from Hangzhou, where she became the first women's breaking champion in Asian Games history. After losing in the semifinal, she bounced back to defeat Ayane in the bronze-medal battle.
Asked how she adjusted in the short interval between the two contests, 671 replied simply, "No adjustment. Just go out there and battle."
She said the margins between elite breakers were extremely small.
"At this level, the difference can come down to just one moment," 671 said. "No matter what the result is, I still want to stick to my own style and keep going."
The men's final, meanwhile, was a repeat of the gold-medal battle from Hangzhou.
Japan's Shigeyuki Nakarai, better known as B-Boy Shigekix, again faced South Korean veteran Kim Hong-yul, or B-Boy Hong10, three years after defeating him for the Asian Games title in Hangzhou. The result was the same in Nagoya, with Shigekix prevailing again to successfully defend his crown.
After the final, Shigekix paid tribute to his 41-year-old opponent, who had already become a global breaking icon by the time the Japanese star began dancing.
"When I started breaking, he was already a legend," Shigekix said. "He was already at the top level in the world, and he is still there. That's incredible."
"It's not just about technique or results," he said. "What he is doing right now is legendary."
Hong10, who again settled for silver, said his willingness to learn from younger generations had helped him remain competitive across different eras.
"Even though they are young, I try to learn from them," he said. "If I just keep saying, 'I'm the legend, you should follow me,' that doesn't work."
China also reached the men's podium, as Wang Ruimiao, known as B-Boy MonkeyZ, defeated Japan's Issin Hishikawa, or B-Boy Issin, in the 3rd-place final.
Making his Asian Games debut, MonkeyZ admitted he had felt some nerves during the competition and still had room to improve in areas such as movement, rhythm and control of his performance.
"I still need to go back, review the competition and work more on my routines and the way I dance," he said. ■
