South Korea’s B-boys and B-girls are all set to become the first ever Asian Games Breaking champions.
B-boys Kim Hong-yeol (Hong10) and Kim Heon-woo (Wing) and B-girls Jeon Jeon-ye (Freshbella) and Kwon Sung-hee (Starry) advanced to the quarterfinals of the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games Breaking Round of 16 at the Gungsu Canal Sports Park Gymnasium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, China on Saturday.
The round of 16 was a one-on-one breaking competition. After three round-robin matches against three opponents from each group, the top two players with the most wins and judges’ votes will advance to the quarterfinals.
In Group A, Kim Hong-yeol lost his first match against Qi Xiangyu (Chinese: Lithe-ing) with a round score of 0-2 (4-5, 2-7). The judges’ choice was in favor of Qi Xiangyu, who performed more difficult spinning techniques than Kim Hong-yeol, who used a freeze (a technique that momentarily stops the body) several times.
However, Kim Hong-yeol played like a veteran and overwhelmed his opponent in matches 2-3, winning all three matches to finish second in the group, especially in match 2 against Cheno in Chinabut, Thailand, where he held the freeze for more than two seconds, drawing cheers from the crowd.
Kim Heon-woo, also a favorite to win the title, swept his first three matches in Group B with a 2-0 round robin score to top the group and easily reach the quarterfinals. Kim’s frieze performance, which took advantage of his height (1 meter 80 centimeters), captured the hearts of the judges and spectators.
On the women’s side, Jeon Jeon-ye and Kwon Sung-hee advanced to the round of 16 after finishing second in Group B and Group D, respectively. After 안전놀이터 falling to Japan’s Ami Yuasa 0-2 in the first round, Jeon defeated Hong Kong’s Chankai and Taiwan’s Chun Yi-ru 2-0 to finish second in her group.
Kwon Sung-hee also fell 0-2 to China’s Ying zi in her first match, but then swept Alanya Talam (Yani-Philippines) and Thanawadee Sutishiri (Nuchi-Thailand) 2-0 to book her ticket to the quarterfinals.
The quarterfinals will begin on Sunday at 7 p.m. ET with the men’s match. Breaking was introduced as an official event for the first time this year. The winner of the event will be crowned the inaugural gold medalist.