Phil Wizard, Luma reign supreme at inaugural Pan Am Championship
B-Boy Phil Wizard of Canada and B-Girl Luma of Colombia became the first ever WDSF Pan American Breaking Champions following dominant performances at the WDSF Pan American Breaking Championship 2023 held in Santiago, Chile on 27-28 May.
The Canadian brough the heat against B-Boy Jeffro of the United States in the final, winning the first Round 9:0. After a much tighter middle Round (5:4), Phil Wizard shifted into another gear in Round 3 to claim a convincing victory with another unanimous (9:0) decision.
The win capped off a triumphant month of May for Wizard, who was fresh off a victory at the Breaking for Gold World Series event in Montpellier, France.
Rounding out the medals podium was B-Boy Victor of the United States, who finished third with a victory over compatriot Gravity in the Battle for Bronze.
B-girl Luma was the talk of the competition, making headlines by slewing a steady stream of higher-ranked opponents en route to gold. The Colombian was pushed to the limit throughout, but ultimately pulled off a narrow victory in the deciding Round of the B-Girls Final over B-Girl Sunny of the USA. American Logistx saw off Canada’s Tiff in the bronze medal battle.
The competition was livestreamed on the Olympic Channel and DanceSportTotal. You can relive all the action here.
In addition to winning medals, the Breakers also claimed highly coveted ranking points for next year’s Olympic Games Paris 2024. Phil Wizard extended his lead over B-Boy Dany of France and now sits atop the global leader board with 3750 points to Dany’s 2800. Luma, meanwhile, cracked the Top 10 with her performance in Santiago. Her 1660 points place her in 9th, with the Republic of China’s 671 in pole position with 3500 points.
The full rankings can be viewed here: B-Boys || B-Girls
Also up for grabs were two quota places for the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS), where 40 B-Girls and 40 B-Boys will compete for Paris 2024 qualification berths in three events organised in three different host cities around the world next year.
In addition, Breakers were also competing for four quota places for the 2023 Pan American Games to be held in Santiago from 20 October to 5 November.
The atmosphere at the event was electric throughout the weekend and the level of Breaking over the two days of competition was outstanding. In total, 91 B-Boys and 52 B-Girls from 16 countries participated at the Championship, which was supported by Olympic Solidarity funding, and the Chilean Ministry of Sport through Chilean National Member Body.
“This was the first Pan Am Breaking Championship, but it clearly will not be the last as this weekend showed the exceptional level of talent that exists throughout the region” said WDSF President Shawn Tay.
The competition was overseen by head judge Katsu One and Chair MG. The nine judges were Cros One, Migaz, Babyson, Gizmo, Jess, Manny, Intact, Tito, Kazuhiro, and Max. DJs Batata Killa and Web manned the turntables, with Max and Pita Star MCing.
A three-day training camp assisted by Olympic Solidarity followed the Championship in the same city centre venue. Aimed at athletes and coaches, the training focused on the most important issues for the development of Breaking in Chile. Seventy-two athletes are taking part in the camp.
Next up on the WDSF competition calendar are two Breaking For Gold International Series events (Montreal on 3-4 June and Madrid on 17-18 June) and Breaking’s debut at the European Games in Poland from 26-27 June.
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