Who is Sya Dembele aka 'Syssy'? Everything about the 16-year-old French star turning heads in Breaking at the Paris Olympics 2024

By Zahid Rashid Dar

Modified Aug 09, 2024 16:52 GMT

Sya Dembele is a French breakdancer know by the stage name 'Syssy.' At 16 years of age, she is among the youngest athletes competing at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Syssy is a medal contender in the B-Girls competition in Paris. She started her Breaking campaign with the loss to Lithunia's Dominika Banevic. The French B-Girl lost by 7-11 votes before making a dominant comeback in her next match.

The 16-year-old is competing in Group B of the B-Girls competition and faced Australia’s Rachael Gunn in the second match. Dembele dominated the matchup, emerging as the clear favorite with 18 votes in her favor. Gunn didn't receive any votes, losing with a 2-0 scoreline in the process.

Sya Dembele's family and hometown

Sya Dembele was born on September 1, 2007, to professional artists from the popular African dance group Doni Doni. Damani Dembele is one of her only siblings who is also a breakdancer.

How long has Syssy been a breakdancer?

Sya Dembele started breakdancing officially at the age of five. She accompanied her brother Damani Dembele to a practice at Melting Force. She competed in Baby Battle Pro, a French Championship for Under 12s at the age of eight. Dembele aka Syssy started dancing internationally at the age of nine.

"That's when I said to myself: "I'm going to do this all my life"," she told French journal Loire.

The 16-year-old competed at the 2022 European Breakdancer Championships. It marked her first international competition recognized by the DanceSport Federation.

Sya Dembele achievements

WDSF World Breaking Championship 2023 - Source: Getty

At the 2022 European Breakdance Championships, Dembele finished 27th in the B-Girls competition. She was the third French breakdancer in the rankings. Dembele competed next at the Red Bull BC One and Battle of the Year competitions, delivering impressive performances all over the globe.

Syssy won her first major international medal at the 2023 European Breakdance Championships. She secured a bronze medal to qualify for the 2023 European Games. The 16-year-old didn't win any medals at the European Games.

Syssy qualified for the Paris Olympics 2024 after finishing fourth in the Olympic Qualifier Series in Budapest.

"It's an honor to represent France and I'm going to give myself the means. But I never put pressure on myself. I just try to live in the moment," she said about competing in the Olympic Games.

She is the top-ranked French breakdancer in the competition and is ranked 10th overall in the world. The 16-year-old is among France’s top medal prospects in breakdancing.