SEOUL: South Korean Kim Hong-Yeol, a.k.a. Hong10, trumped reigning champion Mounir from France to take the Red Bull world breakdancing crown before a rapturous home crowd in Seoul on Saturday.
The 28-year-old snatched the title in a final dance-off against the 2012 winner, after 14 other contenders for the global b-boy championship had been eliminated.
“I’m speechless. All my effort and hard practice have finally paid off,” a tired but ecstatic Hong10, who won the title in 2006, said after his victory.
Sixteen b-boys from 10 nations including the United States, Brazil, France and Japan battled it out on the dance floor in front of a sell out crowd in the South Korean capital’s Jamsil Stadium.
Eight past winners and two wild card entrants competed with six dancers who had qualified through regional tournaments that covered some 90 countries.
B-boying, or breakdancing, originated in New York in the 1970s and then spread across the globe, gaining a devoted following in several Asian countries.
It is so popular in South Korea, that the government promotes the dance style as one of its cultural exports. Top Seoul b-boy groups like R16 and Maximum Crew have won a number of global competitions.
The Red Bull championship is one of the few individual, one-on-one contests and the 3,500-strong audience at the Jamsil arena entered enthusiastically into the gladiatorial spirit of the knockout format.
In each round of the whirlwind two-hour event, two dancers faced off on an open stage in the center of the arena, taking turns to show off their skills to hip-hop beats.
The crowd cheered, jeered and roared as the dancers taunted each other, circling their opponents and then performing their spins, twists and aerial moves so close as to make the other dancer flinch or step back.
Five judges made of prominent breakdancers raised a paper board with the winner’s name after each round, which lasted about three to four minutes.
The dancers were judged on the creativity and extremity of their dance routines as well as their attitude and showmanship during the dance-off.
The Red Bull BC One championship was launched in 2004 and the finals have been held in cities ranging from Johannesburg to Tokyo and Rio de Janeiro.
South Korean clinches world breakdance title
South Korean clinches world breakdance title
Sydney man jailed for mailing reptiles in popcorn bags
- The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said
SYDNEY: A Sydney man who tried to post native lizards, dragons and other reptiles out of Australia in bags of popcorn and biscuit tins has been sentenced to eight years in jail, authorities said Tuesday.
The eight-year term handed down on Friday was a record for wildlife smuggling, federal environment officials said.
A district court in Sydney gave the man, 61-year-old Neil Simpson, a non-parole period of five years and four months.
Investigators recovered 101 Australian reptiles from seized parcels destined for Hong Kong, South Korea, Sri Lanka and Romania, the officials said in a statement.
The animals — including shingleback lizards, western blue-tongue lizards, bearded dragons and southern pygmy spiny-tailed skinks — were posted in 15 packages between 2018 and 2023.
“Lizards, skinks and dragons were secured in calico bags. These bags were concealed in bags of popcorn, biscuit tins and a women’s handbag and placed inside cardboard boxes,” the statement said.
The smuggler had attempted to get others to post the animals on his behalf but was identified by government investigators and the New South Wales police, it added.
Three other people were convicted for taking part in the crime.
The New South Wales government’s environment department said that “the illegal wildlife trade is not a victimless crime,” harming conservation and stripping the state “and Australia of its unique biodiversity.”
