While India’s Neeraj Chopra secured a silver medal in the javelin throw, creating a buzz at the Paris Olympics 2024, another “India” stole the spotlight in a completely different arena. The name “India” reverberated through the stadium, but it wasn’t the country that had achieved a historic feat in breakdancing. The real star was 18-year-old B-girl India Sardjoe from the Hague, Netherlands.
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EUROPEES KAMPIOEN BREAKDANCE 🔥
En ze is pas 16 jaar! India Sardjoe gaat als een speer 🚀
Ze heeft zich met deze prestatie ook direct geplaatst voor de Europese Spelen volgend jaar 💪#SamenSterker | #TeamNL pic.twitter.com/Xr3Gxw7Rbo
— TeamNL🇳🇱 (@TeamNLtweets) November 8, 2022
Sardjoe, competing under her real name, defeated refugee team member B-girl Talash in the opening round of the women’s breaking event. She was then placed in Group A alongside competitors from China, the United States, and Portugal.
Unlike many of her peers who adopt stage names, Sardjoe chose to keep it simple. Her victory marked a groundbreaking moment, as she became the first-ever winner of a breaking battle at the Olympics.
Sardjoe’s journey to the Olympic podium began with football before she discovered her passion for hip-hop and eventually, breakdancing. At just 10, she clinched the Dutch national championship in the Under-12 category. An astonishing rise to prominence followed, as she captured Dutch, European, and world titles within six months in 2022.
To clarify, India, the country, participated in the Paris Olympics with 117 athletes across various sports, winning a total of six medals – five bronze and one silver. Breakdancing, a new addition to the Olympic program, featured competitors from Canada, Japan, France, Lithuania, China, and the United States.
Breaking, a high-energy dance style born in the Bronx, New York, in the 1970s, has evolved from the vibrant hip-hop culture. Characterized by acrobatic moves, intricate footwork, and the energetic interplay between dancers, DJs, and MCs, breaking gained global recognition through international competitions in the 1990s.
After its successful introduction at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires, breaking made its official Olympic debut in Paris.
In a statement to the Olympics committee, Sardjoe expressed her excitement about making history in this inaugural Olympic breaking competition. She emphasized the significance of this achievement for the entire breaking community.