A great first! The French breakers returned to Poland on Tuesday in the Olympic dance during the European Games, participating in the spectacular final stages which allowed Montpellier’s Bboy Dany to win his ticket for Paris 2024.
The stakes were high for the French delegation. In the grounds of Nowy Sacz, in the south of the country, the first Olympic tickets for this young discipline were awarded only to the winners of the men’s and women’s tournaments, bringing together all the best European dancers.
The day before, after a tough qualifying day, the four French representatives in Poland had won their place in the top 8. Bboy Dany and Lagaet, for the men, Bgirl Sissy and Carlota for the women, all residents of the ‘Insep since September, were among the favorites.
“Tuesday is a super important day for French breaking. We can send two athletes to Paris”, had warned the coach of the France team Omar Remichi. In front of an overexcited crowd and a young and enthusiastic public, the evening started very badly for the Blues.
From nightmare to dream
In the quarter-finals, Bgirl Sissy, reigning French champion, and Bgirl Carlota were eliminated one after the other by Lithuanian Nicka and Ukrainian Stefani, temporarily giving up on their Olympic dream.
In the process, it was the turn of Bboy Lagaet to fall. On his first pass of the day, he injured himself on the start of a dome, a famous movement which consists of performing several rotations on the ground, with his legs in the air and on his back.
The hopes of the French camp then rested on the Montpellier Bboy Dany, whose real name is Danis Civil, a 33-year-old caregiver who put his profession on hold to devote himself to his passion. Dyed blond, all dressed in purple, the father, born in Guyana, electrified the public by chaining spectacular figures and intimidating poses. His energetic attitude was systematically rewarded by the 9 members of the jury.
In the final clash of the day, he got the better of the Dutch Menno, reigning European champion, to applause. When the result was announced, the entire French camp jumped onto the stage before lifting the future Olympian, the first in the history of his discipline.
” Meeting in Paris “
“It’s the result of a lot of sacrifice and hard work. My son had given me a big challenge, he told me “if you don’t win, I’m going to yell at you”, so I felt a little forced to win today”, exulted Bboy Dany for a few minutes after his victory.
“It’s great fun for breaking to enter the Games. I give appointment to all the French next year at the Concorde. I represent them now and I’m proud of it,” he added.
“Dany, he has a personality, an experience, a story and a body that speaks for itself. That’s what made the difference today, “said Omar Remichi before the Marseillaise.
Despite the failure of the female breakers, the coach of the France team was very optimistic for the future. “It was great training, even for those who lost. We had a taste of the Olympic format, of the atmosphere that can reign in an event of this kind, ”detailed the coach.
Long remained in the shadow of traditional sports, breaking celebrated on Tuesday in Poland the first tournament in the history of the discipline organized by the Olympic committees. And for the French breakers, this first dance was synonymous with success.
