European Games 2023: Netherlands' B-Girl India and France's B-Boy Dany qualify for Paris 2024 with breaking victories in Poland
The winners of the competition will return home with gold medals from the Games and a coveted spot at next year's Olympics that take place in the capital of France
Breaking
The first-ever European qualification spots for Olympic breaking have been awarded at the European Games 2023.
B-Girl India of the Netherlands and B-Boy Dany of France won the women's and men's competitions, respectively, on a thrilling day of action in front of a packed crowd in Strzelecki Park in Nowy Sacz.
Each of them has been rewarded with a gold medal and direct qualification to the inaugural Olympic breaking competition that will take place next year at Paris 2024.
The 17-year-old B-Girl India sprung onto the scene when she won the European and Dutch national championships in 2022. She will be joined in Paris by 35-year-old B-Boy Dany who has qualified directly for his home Olympic Games. In final, India beat B-Girl Stefani from Ukraine and French B-Boy overcame B-Boy Menno from Netherlands.
The women's bronze medal was won by B-Girl Nicka of Lithuania, a 16-year-old sensation who beat Italy's B-Girl Anti to claim a place on the podium.
In the men's battle for bronze, Austria's Lil Zoo feigned dunks and golf drives in an all-energy performance that saw him edge out B-Boy Lee from the Netherlands to claim a medal.
Two Olympic berths secured as Europe's best breakers show what makes the sport so special
The day began with the quarterfinals, as breakers from across the European continent battled to make it all the way through to the final, where the winners would walk away not just with a gold medal but also a coveted ticket to the Olympics.
And throughout the competition, the mixture of camaraderie and competition that make breaking such a highly anticipated addition to the Paris Olympic programme was on full display, with athletes embracing, consoling one another and battling hard for victory throughout a breathtaking two hours of action.
In the end, it was the supreme skills of two of the world's best breakers that shone brightest, as B-Girl India and B-Boy Dany topped the medal podium and secured the first-ever European spots in breaking.