New Olympic sport "Breaking" Japan Open Nakarai becomes the first champion

Breaking, a new sport for the Paris Olympics two years after next, was held in Tokyo for the first time in the Japan Open, in which athletes from Japan and abroad competed.

Breaking, which was newly adopted at the Paris Olympics, is a competition in which dancers alternately dance one-on-one to the music played by a DJ, competing for technique and expressiveness.

The Japan Open, held by the Japan Dance Sports Federation, is a new tournament where points are awarded for participation in the "qualifying series" that competes for the right to participate in the All Japan Championship and the Paris Olympics in February next year. of players participated.

Of these, the men's final was a match between two Japanese players, 20-year-old ace Nakarai, who finished second at the World Championships in October, and 36-year-old veteran Noritoshi Kikuchi.

In the first round, Kikuchi took the lead with a variety of expressive dances. With an overflowing dance, Nakarai won 2 to 1 and became the first champion.

On the other hand, the Japanese team did not advance to the finals in the women's competition, but in the third-place play-off, 39-year-old Ayumi Fukushima, who won the world championship last year, and Ayaya Nakarai's older sister, 24, played against Fukushima. The athletes performed sharp dances that made the most of their fine footwork, winning 2 to 1 and finishing in 3rd place.

Nakarai "What I've been doing has appeared in the dance"

Shigeyuki Nakarai, who won the men's event, said, "After about a month of training since the World Championships, I had to face myself to see if I could dance with confidence. Although there are challenges, it was a good experience because I felt that what I came up with was reflected in the dance.”

Also, regarding the final match against 36-year-old Noritoshi Kikuchi, he said, "He's a senior I respect, and more than wanting to win, I challenged him with a passion that made me want to keep going."

Ayumi Fukushima, who finished 3rd in the women's event, said, "It's been a long time since I've had athletes from overseas, so it was fun. There were some things I didn't do well at last month's World Championships, but I can see my mental growth next year. I want to do my best for the All Japan Championships in February."