A gold medal win by Canadian Philip Kim at the Paris Olympics in breaking has introduced the world to the sport and its culture that is all about peace, love and unity, his former coaches say.

Kim, who competes as B-Boy Phil Wizard, took the first-ever Olympic gold medal in men91裸聊视频檚 breaking in Paris by defeating French hometown favourite Dany Dann in Saturday91裸聊视频檚 final.

Breaking is a mix of dance, gymnastics, acrobatics, head-spinning balance and a dose of bravado, all to a bass-thumping music beat. The urban dance style traces its roots to New York City during the 1970s.

Practitioners of breaking are called b-boys and b-girls.

Kim began his dance journey in Vancouver, and his former coach, Jheric Hizon, said watching Kim create his magic and seeing the Canadian flag raised on the global stage in Paris had been an incredible experience.

91裸聊视频淗e was really on point that day,91裸聊视频� Hizon said of the gold-medal match. 91裸聊视频淧hilip does a lot of freestyle in his dance, so he was using some of his signature moves earlier on and then throughout the whole competition, he was just very relaxed and was having a lot of fun as well.91裸聊视频�

As Kim91裸聊视频檚 mentor who first introduced hip hop to him when he was 10 years old, Hizon said seeing him applying everything he had learned to become the 27-year-old 91裸聊视频淧hil Wizard91裸聊视频� was a triumph.

91裸聊视频淲hoever watched the games, especially the younger kids, I91裸聊视频檓 sure they are inspired, and the ones who are breaking now, I91裸聊视频檓 sure they will practise even more, even harder, and just maybe take this dance just a little bit more seriously,91裸聊视频� said Hizon.

Breaking, also known as breakdancing, made its Olympic debut at the Paris Games, drawing huge audiences.

But it may be the sport91裸聊视频檚 last appearance as it91裸聊视频檚 not part of the program at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

Anita Perel-Panar, the co-founder of Boogaloo Academy in Vancouver where Hizon teaches dance, flew to Paris with Hizon to support Kim.

She said she believes Kim91裸聊视频檚 gold medal will keep the breaking scene alive and vibrant.

91裸聊视频淐oming to the Olympics brought it to the world,91裸聊视频� she said.

91裸聊视频淪o, everybody knows what it91裸聊视频檚 all about and people are starting to go like, 91裸聊视频榃ow, that91裸聊视频檚 the most amazing thing to watch. What a great sport, is it a dance?91裸聊视频� It91裸聊视频檚 a sport, it91裸聊视频檚 a dance, it91裸聊视频檚 art.91裸聊视频�

Perel-Panar said Kim91裸聊视频檚 goal was to show people how breaking can be used to improve mental health, and give people hope and a better life.

91裸聊视频淚t91裸聊视频檚 not just winning the medal, but it91裸聊视频檚 how we can incorporate it and make positive change in people91裸聊视频檚 lives.91裸聊视频�

Hizon said the hip-hop culture is all about peace, love, unity and having fun, and although the Vancouver has a small community compared with other places, it has a unique vibe with dancers rooting for each other.

91裸聊视频淲e are just very friendly towards each other and we help and push each other and when you are creating together with people, then you just create the bond with each other,91裸聊视频� said Hizon.

Hizon91裸聊视频檚 brother Jhaymee, who mentored Kim when he was 11, said witnessing Kim91裸聊视频檚 victory in Paris brought tears to his eyes and he believed the gold medal would help attract more people to breaking.

91裸聊视频淚 think there will be definitely more youth wanting to find out, and that was the goal from the beginning to get more youth involved, to keep the scene growing and alive,91裸聊视频� said Jhaymee, sending more Canadians to compete on the global stage.

Hizon said he first met Kim 17 years ago while Hizon91裸聊视频檚 hip-hop crew, Now or Never, was performing street shows next to the Vancouver Art Gallery.

Their paths crossed again when Hizon went to Kim91裸聊视频檚 elementary school to teach hip-hop and breaking workshops, which he said inspired Kim to get into hip-hop dance.

Kim won Canada91裸聊视频檚 first world title in breaking at the 2022 World DanceSport Federation championships.

91裸聊视频淎nd once he started winning outside of North America, it became more serious,91裸聊视频� Hizon said, noting Kim was then making a living off breaking.

Kim won the first gold medal in breaking at the Pan American Games when the dance sport made its debut in Santiago last November. By winning, he qualified to represent Canada in Paris.

Hizon said Kim had developed a unique expression in breaking by not only understanding 91裸聊视频渢he vocabulary of breaking dance 91裸聊视频� but also knowing how to put his moves together.

91裸聊视频淎 lot of these moves everybody can do, but it91裸聊视频檚 how you put it together, so it91裸聊视频檚 like creating a puzzle and he creates these puzzles with beautiful pictures in them, and while people are still figuring out where this left piece or right piece goes, and he figured out how to make them really fast and unique,91裸聊视频� said Hizon.

Hizon said they don91裸聊视频檛 teach Kim dance anymore.

91裸聊视频淪o, right now, when we all hang out, it91裸聊视频檚 all about life lessons that I teach him,91裸聊视频� said Hizon.

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