Culture
Breaking debuts at Olympics, noisily and colorfully, in the sport's newest chapter
PARIS — India Sardjoe is 18, with a mouth full of braces, and is on the hunt.
“I really like exchanging pins in the Olympic village,” she said Friday, after taking part in the inaugural Olympic breaking competition at La Concorde. Known in the breaking game as B-Girl India, the 2022 world champion had been one of the favorites coming into the competition but finished just off the medal stand, losing the bronze medal match to China’s B-Girl 671, aka, Liu Qingyi.
In the end, Japan’s B-Girl Ami, aka Ami Yuasa, defeated Lithuania’s B-Girl Nicka (Dominika Banevič) for the gold medal.
“I just, I didn’t nearly focus on medals, actually,” Ami said. “For the final, I just wanted to show my … everything. And I think I did that, yeah.”
A large, enthusiastic and occasionally curious crowd, which featured Snoop Dogg in the afternoon session and IOC president Thomas Bach in the evening one, helped break in breaking, a new sport here but which will not be part of the 2028 Summer Games in Los Angeles. There was intrigue in the afternoon when Afghanistan’s Manizha Talash, in her qualifying match against India, unveiled a cape under her jumper that read “Free Afghan Women.” Manash, who was a member of the Refugee Olympic Team, a 37-member contingent of displaced athletes from around the world, was officially disqualified from her match, but had already lost it on points before she displayed her cape.
The debate about whether breaking is walking away from its past, steeped in Black American culture through the dancing of young Black teenagers in the Bronx in the early 1970s, quickly followed by Latino kids in the city, will go on. But for those who pushed for breaking’s inclusion in the Games, after a decade or so of lobbying and building the form through breaking leagues around the world, Friday was a big moment.
Most importantly: Folks were watching on TV. Some, intently. Of course, it was not universally loved. But, what is these days?
Issues like appropriation and erasure of the original culture of breaking should be amplified and heard. But it was hard not to be impressed by the amazing international flavor of the inaugural event here, reflecting the different viewpoints and histories of the estimated 30 million breakers worldwide.
B-Girl Ami (Japan’s Ami Yuasa) on Friday won gold in the inaugural Olympic breaking competition. “I just wanted to show my … everything,” she said. (Elsa / Getty Images)
The evening was noisy and raucous, with a stage for the DJs and the judges set up like a boombox, an homage to the old days.
The MCs Friday, Malik and Max, hailed from France, and Portugal, respectively. The DJs were American (DJ Fleg) and Polish (DJ Plash One). The music they played ran the gamut: “Heart ‘n Soul,” by Booker T. Averheart; “Family Affair,” by MFSB; “Blow Your Whistle,” by D.C.’s go-go legends Chuck Brown and The Soul Searchers; “Mu Africa,” by The Rift Valley Brothers; “Boom!,” by The Roots.
The final eight women hailed from France, Japan (B-Girl Ami and B-Girl Ayumi), China (B-Girl 671 and B-Girl Ying Zi), Ukraine (B-Girl Kate), France (B-Girl Syssy), the Netherlands (B-Girl India) and Lithuania (B-Girl Nicka). The two U.S. breakers in the field, B-Girl Sunny (Sunny Choi) and B-Girl Logistx (Logan Edra) were eliminated before the quarterfinals. U.S. breaker B-Boy Victor (Victor Montalvo) is among the favorites on the men’s side to medal at the men’s competition Saturday.
“Honestly, I didn’t really get to process everything yet,” said Kate, full name Kateryna Pavlenko, who lost in the quarters. “But I can’t believe it’s over. I was waiting for this day for a long time. Now it’s done, for me. It feels great. I think everybody did a great job, and I think (the) representation of breaking was super-high level from the b-girls. I’m very happy I ended up in the top eight — best b-girls in the world, let me say.”
The athletic ability of so many of the breakers was astounding, as they top rocked and down rocked. B-Girl Ami, who didn’t appear to have a fixed spine, dominated France’s B-Girl Syssy in the opening quarterfinal, 3-0, then squeaked out a 2-1 semifinal over India. B-Girl 671 seemed to change directions, somehow, while balanced on her head. Nicka didn’t spin as much as she floated along the ground. Nicka beat 671 in the semifinals, 2-1; 671 beat India for the bronze.
Someone asked 671 afterward if the tears in her eyes were because she was happy at winning bronze, or because she lost a chance at winning gold.
“Both,” she said. “The first Olympics I go to, the medal, first, I’m happy. But also, the battle turned out a bit (badly). But I will still keep going.”
From left, B-Girl Nicka (silver), B-Girl Ami (gold) and B-Girl 671 (bronze) show off their medals from the inaugural Olympic breaking competition. (Elsa / Getty Images)
B-Girl Kate moved to Los Angeles just before the Russian invasion into Ukraine in 2022. Her family remains there. So it is even more imperative to her to use breaking to send a message of hope and possibility to her people back home.
“It’s very important, because I was born there,” she said Friday. “It shaped me as a person. It made me who I am. Because of Ukraine, I thought it might be not fair to represent any other country. I’m Ukrainian. I was born and raised there. I left early. For me, I know a lot of b-boys and b-girls are watching me, and I give them a little bit of hope to represent, somebody they can look up to. And for me, it’s the highest reward ever. … If I can inspire or touch somebody from Ukraine with my dance, I’m happy.”
There will likely never be a happy marriage between the old and new schools of breaking. Maybe a marriage of convenience is the best that can be done. The desire to monetize and showcase breaking on bigger platforms in the United States will likely make keeping it solely under the watch and influence of the originators of the art form impossible. But many among the new generation of breaking, and breakers, understand that attention must be paid to the originators and innovators that created the dance, and on whose shoulders they stand.
“It’s a huge responsibility to represent and raise the bar, every time, for breaking,” Nicka said Friday. “Because they did an amazing job. Big respect for the OGs and the pioneers that invented all those moves. Without them, it wouldn’t be possible. I’m grateful for them.”
GO DEEPER
A Ukrainian breaker’s journey to the Paris Olympics
(Top photo of B-Girl Ami during Friday’s breaking competition at the Olympics: Elsa / Getty Images)
new video loaded: The A.I. threat to audiobooks
By Alexandra Alter, Léo Hamelin and Laura Salaberry
May 20, 2026
At 53, and after more than a decade in the industry, things are happening for the romance writer Kennedy Ryan that were not on her bingo card.
The most recent: a first look deal with Universal Studio Group that will allow her to develop various projects, including a Peacock adaptation of her breakout 2022 novel “Before I Let Go,” the first book in her Skyland trilogy, which considers love and friendship among three Black women in a community inspired by contemporary Atlanta.
With a TV series in development, Ryan — who published her debut novel in 2014 and subsequently self-published — joins Tia Williams and Alanna Bennett at a table with few other Black romance writers.
“What I am most excited about is the opportunity to identify other authors’ work, especially marginalized authors, and to shepherd those projects from book to screen,” said Ryan, a former journalist. (Kennedy Ryan is a pen name.) “We are seeing an explosion in romance adaptations right now, and I want to see more Black, brown and queer authors.”
Her latest novel, “Score,” is set to publish on Tuesday. It’s the second volume in her Hollywood Renaissance series, after “Reel,” about an actress with a chronic illness who falls for her director on the set of a biopic set during the Harlem Renaissance. The new book follows a screenwriter and a musician, once romantically involved, working on the same movie.
In a recent interview (edited and condensed for clarity), Ryan shared the highs and lows of commercial success; her commitment to happy endings; and her north star. Spoiler: It isn’t what readers think of her books on TikTok.
Your work has been categorized as Black romance, but how do you see yourself as a writer?
I see myself as a romance writer. I think the season that I’m in right now, I’m most interested in Black romance, and that’s what I’ve been writing for the last few years. It doesn’t mean that I won’t write anything else, because I don’t close those doors. But the timeline we’re in is one where I really want to promote Black love, Black art and Black history.
What intrigued you about the period of history you capture in the Hollywood Renaissance series?
I’ve always been fascinated by the Harlem Renaissance and the years immediately following. It felt like a natural era to explore when I was examining overlooked accomplishments by Black creatives. I loved the art as agitation and resistance seen in the lives of people like James Baldwin or Zora Neale Hurston, but also figures like Josephine Baker, Lena Horne and Dorothy Dandridge, who people may not think of as “revolutionary.” The fact that they were even in those spaces was its own act of rebellion.
What about that period feels resonant now?
The series celebrates Black art and Black history and love at a time when I see all three under attack. Our art is being diminished and our history is being erased before our very eyes. I don’t hold back on the relationship between what I see going on in the world and the books I write.
How does this moment in your career feel?
I didn’t get my first book deal until I was in my 40s, so I think this is the best job I’ve ever had. I’m wanting to make the most of it, not just for myself, but for other people, and I think the temptation is to believe that it will all go away because that’s my default.
Why would it all go away?
Part of it is because we — my family, my husband and I — have had some really hard times, especially early in our marriage when my son was diagnosed with autism, my husband lost his job, and we experienced hard times financially. I’ll never forget that.
When I say it could all go away, I mean things change, the industry changes, what people respond to changes, what people buy and want to consume changes. So I don’t assume that what I am doing is always going to be something that people want.
Why are you so firmly committed to defending the “happy ending” in romance novels?
It is integral to the definition of the genre that it ends happily. Some people will say it’s just predictable every one ends happily. I am fine with that, living in a world that is constantly bombarding us with difficulty, with hurt, with challenge.
I write books that are deeply curious about the human condition. In “Score,” the heroine has bipolar disorder, she’s bisexual, there’s all of this intersectionality. For me, there is no safer genre landscape to unpack these issues and these conditions because I know there is guaranteed joy at the end.
You have a pretty active TikTok account. How do you engage with reviews and commentary on the platform about you or the genre?
First of all, I believe that reader spaces are sacred. Sometimes I see authors get embroiled with readers who have criticized them. I never ever comment on critical reviews. I definitely do see the negative. It’s impossible for me not to, but I just kind of ignore it. I let it roll off.
How does this apply to being a very visible Black author in romance?
I am very cognizant of this space that I’m in right now, which is a blessing, and I don’t take it for granted. I see a lot of discourse online where people are like, “Kennedy’s not the only one,” “Why Kennedy?,” “There should be more Black authors.” And I’m like, Oh my God, I know that. I am constantly looking for ways to amplify other Black authors. I want to hold the door open and pull them along.
How do you define success for yourself at this point?
I have a little bit of a mission statement: I want to write stories that will crater in people’s hearts and create transformational moments. Whether it’s television or publishing, am I sticking true to what I feel like is one of the things I was put on this earth to do? I’m a P.K., or preacher’s kid. We’re always thinking about purpose. And for me, how do I fit into this genre? What is my lane? What is my legacy? Which sounds so obnoxious, you know, but legacy is very important to me.
Welcome to Great Adaptations, the Book Review’s regular multiple-choice quiz about printed works that have gone on to find new life as movies, television shows, theatrical productions and more. This week’s challenge highlights the screen adaptations of popular books for middle-grade and young adult readers. Just tap or click your answers to the five questions below. Scroll down after you finish the last question for links to the books and their screen versions.
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