U.S. Breakers Eye Final Qualification Opportunity in Budapest

The road to Olympic Qualification for breaking ends next week in Budapest at the final stop of the Olympic Qualifier Series (OQS). The race to qualify two more breakers, one male and one female, for the Olympic Games Paris 2024 ends at the Hungary OQS stop that also features qualifying competition for skateboarding, BMX and sport climbing. Two U.S. breakers, Sunny Choi and Victor Montalvo, have already secured their spots in France for the much-anticipated Olympic debut of the sport.  

In breaking, athletes aren’t numerically scored, rather they must win head-to-head battles against their competitors in a round robin format. This offers the opportunity for athletes to study their competition so breakers can maximize their strengths and potentially expose weaknesses in their competitors. Everything you need to know about Olympic breaking, including movement vocabulary and qualification details, can be found on the Olympic website. U.S. breakers had the chance to survey their competition at the first stop of the competition series in Shanghai and will look to compete with strategy in Hungary. 

 
In Shanghai, Asia was well-represented in the final male standings with Netherlands, China, Japan and Korea taking spots one through four. The competition for the final U.S. male spot is close, with B-boy Jeffro (Jeffrey Louis) and B-boy Gravity (Miguel Rosario) finishing in fifth and sixth place, respectively. The close competition and level of talent between these two was highlighted at the 2023 Pan American Games where Jeffro finished in silver medal position and Gravity followed closely behind in fourth. With Jeffro known for his stylistic flair and Gravity known for his impressive acrobatics, whoever can edge ahead between the talented duo will take the last male qualifying spot for the USA. 

“I’m super grateful to be in this position, paved by pioneers and older generations before me. I want to leave it all on the floor and let the world know what true movement freedom looks like and feels like. I’m ready to be the best version of myself,” Jeffro said.  

For the females, Japan finished in positions one through three in standings followed by U.S. breaker Logistx (Logan Edra). Fellow American B-girl La Vix (Vicki Chang), Pan American silver medalist, ended 28^th in standings. If Logistx performs well in Budapest, her path to Paris looks promising. 

Of course, the goal for the U.S. breakers isn’t just to qualify, as they are all hungry to compete and represent the stars and stripes to the best of their abilities at the Olympic Games. Sunny and Victor have been heads down, training aggressively for their chances at medals in Paris and fans eagerly await the potential naming of two more athletes to the U.S. Olympic Breaking Team. 

Competition takes place June 19-23. Fans can find all the information, including how to watch and results, at the OQS Budapest event page.