China has achieved its best-ever performance at the World Breaking Championships, securing two medals on home soil in Chengdu on Saturday. Paris Olympics bronze medalist Liu Qingyi clinched silver in the women’s event, while Wang Ruimiao earned bronze, marking the country’s first podium finish on the men’s side.
This year’s World Championships, the first since breaking made its Olympic debut at Paris 2024, attracted over 180 athletes from 31 nations and regions. Both the men’s and women’s winners and runners-up earned direct entry into the 2025 World Games.
Liu, known in the breaking community as B-Girl 671, showcased her exceptional talent by defeating Lithuania’s Dominika Banevich 2-1 to reach the women’s final, avenging her semifinal defeat at the Olympics. In the final, Liu introduced several fresh elements to her routine against India Dewi Sardjoe of the Netherlands. Despite her innovative performance, Sardjoe, who placed fourth at the Paris Games, secured the gold with a 2-1 victory.
“My main goal in this competition was to dance happily and explore areas that are not my strength,” Liu expressed. “Dance is an art form, and I don’t want to always win by performing in just one way. I want to express myself through various styles.”
In the men’s division, China had two athletes advance to the last 16. Qi Xiangyu, who placed fourth at last season’s World Championships, narrowly missed a spot in the quarterfinals. However, Wang Ruimiao, nicknamed “B-Boy Monkey Z”, made an impressive debut by clinching bronze after defeating Ukraine’s Oleg Kuznietsov 3-0. The 19-year-old’s achievement marks China’s first-ever medal in the men’s division at the World Breaking Championships. The gold medal went to Japan’s Isshin Hishikawa.
Reference(s):
China celebrates historic success at World Breaking Championships
cgtn.com
