Mexico's B-Girl Swami - "Flow means: be connected with your body and just go"
Breaking is not for the faint-hearted, and that is exactly why Swami Mostalac Rizzitello loves it.
“A breaking competition is like an MC freestyle battle or like a boxing match. It’s one versus one, there’s two or three rounds, and each dance you do is like asking the opponent a question, ‘Can you do this?’ Then comes the response ‘Yeah, I can do it better!’ she told Olympics.com at the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS) in Shanghai in May.
After trying the dance sport for the first time six years ago, the Mexican, better known as B-Girl Swami, has become one of the world’s top athletes.
The 18-year-old's dream is to compete in breaking’s Olympic debut at Paris 2024, and she has a mindset that she hopes will prevent her from being overwhelmed by the enormity of the challenge.
“I’m so present. I want to enjoy it and be excited by it. And if you give 100% all the time in the training and with the people in the competition, I think that’s the secret,” she continued.
“It’s important to have flow. For me, flow means: be connected with your body and just go. Just feel it and go.”
B-Girl Swami on fulfilling her mother's Olympic dream
Growing up in Playa de Carmen, the Olympic dream was always present in her family.
Swami’s mother, who is a huge supporter of her daughter’s career, was a professional tennis player and dreamt of competing at the Olympic Games, but never fulfilled it.
It seemed impossible that the dancer would be able to inherit this same Olympic dream... until it was announced that breaking would be included in the Paris 2024 programme.
"From there I said 'I have a new dream, I want to get to the Olympics', a very strong change was made in breaking, it was a dream come true for our entire scene," Swami told ESTO.
From that moment onwards, B-girl Swami dedicated herself to the sport.
She became a two-time national champion in Mexico (2022 and 2023) and was fifth in the sport’s debut at the Santiago 2023 Pan American Games.
After qualifying for the OQS, she made it to the round robin stage in Shanghai, and could book her Paris berth at the final Olympic qualifier at the OQS in Budapest later in June*.
Despite being in the most important competition of her life, the pressure was trumped by a sense of gratitude for what she had already achieved.
“It's a dream come true, I'm really happy. Before, all of this was in my imagination. It was better than I expected,” she continued to Olympics.com.
She also acknowledged how much the sport had changed at all levels since she first tried it six years ago.
For her, this is just the beginning for breaking
“But not just for me, it’s a great opportunity for all the athletes to have now,” she said.
“Being in the Olympics has given the sport a really good kick. It’s made us very visible for sponsors, and has increased the support for us. There are more schools teaching breaking now, and it has improved the sport in every way which is so cool.
“Before I was without a coach, without support. And right now I have a coach. Everything feels more secure in my mind.
“I love that the sport has reached a higher level. Both the culture and the respect we have for each other as athletes. It’s a new opportunity to grow, and I’m so happy to be a part of it.”
"As National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes' participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024."