Japan B-girl wins inaugual breaking gold
The urban sport of breaking spun its way onto the Olympic stage on Friday for the first and possibly last time, with Japan's B-Girl Ami winning the inaugural women's gold. Breaking, better known as breakdancing, made its debut amid the grand elegance of Paris' Place de la Concorde, with 17 dancers known as B-Girls going head-to-head in a series of battles. Ami, whose name is Ami Yuasa, beat Lithuania's Dominika "Nicka" Banevic in the final, with China's Liu "671" Qingyi taking bronze. The sport's appearance at the Olympics could be a fleeting one however, having already been dropped from the Los Angeles 2028 programme and no guarantees it will return in the future. "It was disappointing it was decided that it wouldn't be in LA, particularly before we even had a chance to show it," said Australian B-Girl Rachel "Raygun" Gunn. "I think that was possibly a little premature. I wonder if they're kicking themselves now." Organisers ensured breaking made the most of its time in the spotlight in Paris, pumping up the volume for an excited crowd that included rapper Snoop Dogg. Each battle sees B-Girls take turns to lay down their dance moves over a set number of rounds, with a panel of judges determining the winner. The competition opened with a pool stage featuring four groups of four B-Girls, before moving onto the knockout round. The first contest of the day was between India Sardjoe of the Netherlands, known by her B-Girl name India, and Refugee Olympic Team competitor Talash. Talash, whose real name is Manizha Talash, left Taliban-controlled Afghanistan to live in Spain two years ago and danced wearing a blue cape with "Free Afghan Women" printed on it. The men's competition takes place on Saturday. (AFP)