Olympics and Paralympics
Shigekix Misses Out on Podium as Breaking Makes First, and Perhaps Last, Olympic Appearance
The Team Japan flag bearer at the Opening Ceremony impressed the crowd but was defeated in the men's breaking semifinals by Canadian Phil Wizard.
Shigeyuki Nakarai, aka Shigekix, missed out on the podium on Saturday, August 10 in the men's breaking competition at the Paris Olympics.
Nakarai, one of two flag bearers for the Japanese delegation at the Opening Ceremony on July 26, was a gold-medal hopeful in the event making its debut at the Olympics.
Nakarai impressed the near-capacity crowd at La Concorde urban sports complex with a variety of power moves but lost by a score of 17-10 (based on a nine-judge panel) to Canadian Phil Wizard (Philip Kim) in the semifinals.
Wizard went on to take the gold medal while local favorite B-boy Dany Dann (Danis Civil) of France took silver.
Nakarai was then defeated 20-7 in the bronze-medal showdown by American Victor (Victor Montalvo).
"The road to Paris, and the Paris Olympics itself, have been a really valuable time for me, and a challenge that I definitely needed," Nakarai said, according to Kyodo News. "I'm sure I'm stronger for standing on this stage and matured both as a man and dancer."
Shigekix Showcases His Breaking Skills
Deploying a series of masterful headspins and handstands, Shigekix emerged from the four-dancer Group A in second place after defeating compatriot Hiro10 (Hiroto Ono), who did not advance to the last eight.
Nakarai then defeated Menno (Menno van Gorp) of the Netherlands in the quarterfinals 22-5 before suffering back-to-back defeats.
Nakarai's compatriot Ami Yuasa, aka B-girl Ami, won the gold medal in the women's competition a day earlier to give Japan its first, and perhaps only, medal in breaking for quite some time.
Breaking: An Uncertain Future in the Olympics
Breaking has been omitted from the program for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 and is even doubtful for Brisbane in 2032.
Organizers, who are seeking to add other sports to an already crowded Olympic program, made the decision before the dancers took to the stage on Saturday.
Baseball and softball will return in LA, a big boost for Japan, and other sports like squash and flag football are making a push for future Olympic Games, according to reports.
Yuasa expressed disappointment over the fact that the country that invented breaking, or break dancing, will not include it on the Olympic program four years from now.
"I wish it would have been held in the country where it originated," Yuasa said, according to Kyodo. "I still think breaking will become more popular, even without the Olympics."
Regardless of what happens on the Olympic stage, she said she is confident breaking has a bright future in Japan where it has been embraced by the country's youth.
"I think in Japan [it's] really good," B-girl Ami told Kyodo. “The culture side, sports side [are both] really good. Every weekend there's a jam … big jams and also small, cool jams. So the Japanese breaking scene is so good. I love it."
RELATED:
- B-girl Ami Wins Historic Gold in Women's Breaking at the Paris Olympics
- Isshin Hishikawa and Ayumi Fukushima Capture Titles at the All Japan Breaking Championships
Author: Jim Armstrong
The author is a longtime journalist who has covered sports in Japan for over 25 years. You can find his articles on SportsLook.