“There goes my second dream” - Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal on breaking being discontinued at Los Angeles 2028 Olympics
The recently concluded Paris 2024 Olympics featured 32 sports, and one of the newest ones among those was ‘breaking.' It made its Olympic debut at this year’s Summer Games.
However, the unconventional and youth-oriented sport, which is also known as breakdancing, will reportedly be discontinued at the upcoming Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
Reacting to that news, Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal shared a humorous post on his Instagram story, where he wrote:
“Ouchhhhh!!!! There goes my second dream :(“
Sumit Nagal, who is the highest-ranked Indian tennis player in the singles category, had a torrid time at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The 26-year-old from Haryana was one of the most high-profile players of the country’s tennis contingent but was eliminated in the first round after losing to France’s Corentin Moutet 2-6, 6-2, 5-7.
Even though Nagal will not be able to fulfill his dream of representing his nation at breaking in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, he will look to improve his performances in tennis at the next quadrennial tournament in LA.
How did Sumit Nagal’s second dream sport ‘breaking’ fare at the Paris 2024 Olympics?
Breaking, along with sport climbing and surfing, made their Olympic debut at Paris 2024. Breaking had earlier made its debut at the 2018 Youth Summer Olympics in Buenos Aires but had to wait for six more years to make its debut on the senior stage.
The unique sporting event of breaking grabbed headlines – often for the wrong things – at the Paris 2024 Olympics. The debut provided a meme-fest after an unconventional performance by the Australian female breakdancer Raygun – real name Rachael Gunn – whose moves resembled those of a kangaroo.
Despite its occasional hilarious moments, breaking did come to international attention after its stint at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Olympic version of the sport featured a dancer – called a b-boy or a b-girl – performing in front of a panel of judges, who then gave a score based on the break’s ‘technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality, and originality.'
The breaking events, which started on August 9 and ended on August 10, saw the first Olympic champions in the sport as Canada’s Philip Kim (known as Phil Wizard) won the gold medal in the men’s event. Meanwhile, Japan’s Ami Yuasa (known as Ami) won the gold medal in the women’s event.