Olympics Edition – Save the last dance

The GIST: The Olympics’ grooviest new sport, breaking (aka breakdancing, but don’t call it that) combines dance and acrobatics to create performances that bring a whole new meaning to the phrase “back breaking.”

• For the 16 women (“B-girls”) and 16 men (“B-boys”) competing in the first-ever Olympic contest, this could be their only shot at gold — breaking is not slated for the LA Games in 2028.

How it’s done: Breaking competitions, aka “battles,” are one-on-one and consist of three one-minute rounds per athlete. When one breaker finishes their round, their opponent’s round starts instantly — and they never know what the music will be ahead of time, so all moves are improvised.

• A nine-judge panel scores each breaker based on six categories: creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity, and musicality. The athlete who snags the highest score in two of the three rounds wins the battle.

• The tournament starts with women’s round robins, then quarter-finals, semifinals, and gold medal matchups — all on August 9th, with the men competing a day later. That’s a whole lotta spinning.

Who to watch: At just 17 years old, Lithuania’s Dominika Banevič (aka B-Girl Nicka) is the reigning world titleholder after her 2023 finals win over Japanese 40-year-old Ayumi Fukushima (B-Girl Ayumi). Both are favored to medal in these games, although American Logan Edra (B-Girl Logistx) could give them a run for their money.

• As for the men, a pair of Americans — the aforementioned Montalvo (aka B-Boy Victor) and Jeffrey Louis (B-Boy Jeffro) — are gold-medal favorites, with competition from Canadian Philip Kim (B-Boy Phil Wizard) and Frenchman Danis Civil (B-Boy Dany). Break it down now.

The GIST: Canoe and kayak events like slalom and sprint have been featured at the Olympics for years, but this time around, organizers added a fan-favorite to the mix: kayak cross, canoe slalom’s cousin.

How it’s done: Athletes start from a ramp above the water, then are yeeted into a rapids course featuring a combo of upstream and downstream gates they must pass through — plus, they have to complete a 360-degree kayak roll at some point before finishing. The first round, set for August 2nd, consists of timed solo runs, which usually take less than a minute.

• But chaos ensues in subsequent rounds: Four athletes race against one another, not the clock, in knockout heats — and yes, contact is allowed and happens often. The top two finishers in each round advance, from prelims all the way to the August 5th medal finals.

Who to watch: The Brits. Three-time reigning world champ Kimberley Woods is favored to win the women’s medal, while reigning world champ Joe Clarke is a top dog on the men’s side. But Aussie Jessica Fox is another strong contender many predict will make the women’s podium.

The GIST: A host of sports debuted at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, and most, outside of karate, are back for round two.

🏄 Surfing: Due to Paris’ lack of venue, surfing will take place nearly 10K miles away in Tahiti (which is part of French Polynesia). Reigning women’s gold medalist Carissa Moore of the U.S. will look to defend her title, while three-time world champ Gabriel Medina of Brazil is the frontrunner on the men’s side. Righteous.

🧗 Sport climbing: This year, climbing will feature a head-to-head speed event in addition to 2020’s combined event, which bundled performances in bouldering and lead. In other words, there’s even more hardware on the line for reigning gold medalists Alberto Ginés López of Spain and Janja Garnbret of Slovenia.

🏀 3x3 basketball: In this half-court, fast-paced version of the sport, Team USA’s women look to repeat as Olympic champs, although they’ve been hampered by the loss of their first-choice forward, LA Sparks rookie Cameron Brink, to an ACL tear. On the men’s side, title defense falls to reigning champ Latvia.

🛹 Skateboarding: Four gold medals were available at the Tokyo Games — women’s and men’s park and women’s and men’s street — and Japanese athletes won three of them. Will Japan be as dominant away from their home turf? Or will other top contenders from Australia and Brazil kickflip to victory?

The GIST: Olympic committees are always tinkering with events, and some big changes are already set for the next time around in LA.

The returners: A handful of sports will regain medal status in 2028, some after a long time away. Cricket will appear for just the second time after its original 1900 debut, and lacrosse is coming back for the first time since 1908.

• On the other hand, after making an appearance at the Tokyo 2020 Games, baseball and softball will retake the field in LA (and Oklahoma…) four years from now.

The first-timers: Two sports will make their Olympic debuts in LA: squash and flag football. While the former is finally tasting success after a decades-long campaign to make it to the Games, flag football is a brand-new phenomenon femininomenon, largely thanks to the NFL’s push to take American football global and grow their female fanbase. Hello there, Mr. (and Mrs.) Worldwide.

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