Eshwar Tiwari, Johanna Rodrigues win Red Bull BC One Cypher India 2021 breaking tournament
This was the first event in India since breaking was announced as a sport for the Paris 2024 Olympics. The winners will now head to Poland for the World Finals.
B-Boy Wildchild Eshwar Tiwari of Mumbai and B-Girl Jo Johanna Rodrigues of Bengaluru won the Red Bull BC One Cypher India 2021 in the men’s and women’s categories, respectively, in Mumbai on Saturday.
Red Bull BC One Cypher, which completed its sixth edition, is India’s leading breaking competition and is held annually. It was the first event held in India since breaking -- or breakdancing -- was included in the Olympic programme for Paris 2024 late last year.
The tournament also served as a national qualifier for the World Final, which will be held in Gdansk, Poland on November 6.
According to ESPN India, from the 520 B-Boys and 28 B-Girls who took part in the qualifiers for the Red Bull BC One Cypher India 2021, only 16 B-Boys and four B-Girls made the cut for the final round. The event was a knockout competition.
Two throw downs -- when the participant starts breaking -- were allowed for each competitor in each round. In the men’s final, the B-Boys were allowed three throw downs each.
There are five parameters on which breaking participants are judged: originality, creativity, musicality, technique and overall performance.
The 23-year-old Eshwar Tiwari beat three-time champion Flying Machine Arif Chaudhary of Mumbai for his maiden title. This was Wildchild’s third appearance in the final of the competition. All three judges ruled in his favour.
“I can’t blame anyone, I can only accept what the judges decided,” Arif Chaudhary told Olympics.com. “I took that (result) as a lesson. I felt a little sad about not winning, but it’s ok. You win on one day and you lose on another day.”
Meanwhile, Johanna Rodrigues, 25, beat B-Girl Pace in the final to become the first Indian to successfully defend the Cypher India title. Jo, too, had all three judges choosing her as victor.
Both the winners will now head to Poland where the two Indians will participate in their respective categories in the Last Chance Cypher, from where the top 16 will compete in the Red Bull BC One World Final 2021.