April 26, 2024
Canadian B-boy Phil Wizard tops podium at Breaking for Gold World Series in France | CBC Sports

Canadian B-boy Phil Wizard tops podium at Breaking for Gold World Series in France | CBC Sports

Canadian B-boy Phil Wizard moved closer to Olympic qualification with a gold-medal victory on Thursday at the WDSF Breaking for Gold World Series stop in Montpellier, France.

The reigning world champion from Vancouver delivered a dominant 3-0 performance against Japanese star Shigekix in the final battle to secure his first World Series win. Wizard took home silver at last month’s event in Rio de Janeiro after finishing 10th in February at the first stop in Kitakyushu, Japan.

Wizard, whose real name is Phil Kim, earned 1,000 ranking points toward Olympic qualification. The top 14 B-boys and B-girls in the Breaking for Gold rankings will advance to the Olympic Qualifier Series, set to be held next year from March to June. The 26-year-old of Korean descent was ranked fourth ahead of the event in Montpellier.

Chinese B-girl 671 also topped the podium with a decisive 3-0 victory on Thursday, defeating reigning European champion Nicka.

Wizard will next compete at the Pan American Championships in Santiago, Chile from May 27-28, with the winner directly qualifying for the Paris Games. He will have another chance to clinch a spot when he attempts to defend his title at worlds in Leuven, Belgium (Sept. 23-24).

Wizard beat Shigekix for the world championship last October.

The sport’s highly anticipated Olympic debut in Paris will feature a men’s and women’s tournament, with 16 competitors in each. Breaking will take place at the iconic Place de la Concorde from Aug. 9-10, 2024.

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