DAKAR, Nov. 13 (Xinhua) -- China's Cui Shengyu, competing as Holy Rain, made an impressive start to the breaking competition at the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games on Thursday, sweeping all three of his group battles to emerge as an early gold medal contender.
The 16-year-old, who won the under-19 title at the 2026 World Breaking Championships in Chengdu earlier this year, topped Group A with 52 votes.
Holy Rain said he took up breaking at the age of five after his mother encouraged him to practice the sport to improve his health.
"I wasn't in good health at the time, so I often fell sick. My mum found breaking as an activity that could help strengthen my body," he said.
"After practicing, I realized that I really liked the sport. I feel this competition can help build my confidence and self-belief."
The Chinese teenager was among the standout performers as breaking made its second appearance at the Youth Olympic Games, following its debut at Buenos Aires 2018.
At the Complexe Tour de l'Oeuf, energetic music, enthusiastic spectators and gravity-defying moves created a lively atmosphere as the two-day competition got underway. The venue had previously hosted the 3x3 basketball tournament, where Senegal's men's and women's teams won gold and bronze respectively.
Senegal's Papis, despite losing all three battles to finish fourth in Group A, received enthusiastic support from the home crowd.
"I felt so good hearing the people cheer for me," he said. "I hope this will motivate more people to take up breaking in Senegal."
Poland's Littleman and Chinese Taipei's Saturn also swept their three battles to top Groups B and C respectively. Littleman collected 43 votes, while Saturn finished with 53.
The B-girls opened Thursday's action with 12 competitors divided into three groups.
Japan's Hiyo, the world youth No. 1, swept all three battles in Group A, while Ukraine's Nikastar and Spain's Mini Ali also topped their respective groups with perfect records.
Hiyo said her biggest motivation was to perform in front of her family and Japanese teammates.
"My biggest goal throughout the day was to dance with a feeling of gratitude," she said. "I gave it my all and danced with everything I had right until the very end."
Nikastar was equally impressed by the reception from the Dakar crowd.
"The energy is so amazing. When I'm dancing and the crowd is there, I want to dance more and more," she said.
France's Queen Lolita, Morocco's Nawel and Kazakhstan's Aizara also advanced to the quarterfinals after finishing second in their groups. Malaysia's Reese and South Korea's Minji secured the remaining places as the best third-placed competitors.
Spain's Mini Ali, who began dancing at six after discovering breaking on television and YouTube, hoped the competition would inspire more young people to take up the sport.
"I saw a lot of children and young people in the crowd. I think this can motivate them to take up dancing or start learning breaking because it's amazing," she said.
The B-girls' quarterfinals and the remaining stages of the B-boys' competition will continue on Friday. ■
