Breaking makes its Olympic debut this summer with two upcoming final qualifiers being held in Shanghai and Budapest. South Africa’s Courtnae Paul is one of seven B-girls and B-boys from Africa hoping to earn a spot at Paris 2024.
Born in Durban, the 32-year-old practised a number of sports including gymnastics and kick boxing before moving to Johannesburg where she worked professionally as a dancer, choreographer and DJ. Breakdancing, called breaking in its sport form, was merely a hobby for Paul until the COVID-19 pandemic.
Breaking, which had been contested at the Buenos Aires 2018 Youth Olympic Games, was confirmed as part of the Paris programme in July 2020. Paul recalled to AFP, “I couldn’t believe it. There was nowhere for me to take it (previously). No platforms existed.”
READ ALSO: Chelsea in talks for Shakhtar Donetsk attacker Sudakov
The timing was perfect with the South African having just started to devote more time to the activity. She said, “It was God’s way of saying, ‘Let’s get you back to the thing we want you to do.’ I’d like to have been, you know, six years younger, but I’ll take what I can get.”
Described by her coach Jaco Claasen as “explosive” and “powerful”, Paul will compete with 40 other B-girls for one of 16 available berths in the Olympic competition.
“The circuits that have been built around Olympic qualifiers are game-changing,” Paul said. “I’ve worked as hard as I can, and I’m as ready as I can be. A self-assured person is a dangerous one!”