China's Liu, Japan's Nakarai win Asiad breaking titles

Liu Qingyi of China in action during the women's breakdancing gold medal battle at the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, Oct. 7, 2023. (Xinhua/Wang Kaiyan)

Liu Qingyi and Shigeyuki Nakarai have qualified for the Paris Olympic Games breakdancing competition thanks to gold medals at the Hangzhou Asiad.

HANGZHOU, Oct. 7 (Xinhua) -- China's Liu Qingyi edged Ami Yuasa of Japan 2-1, while Japan's Shigeyuki Nakarai beat South Korean veteran Kim Hongyul 2-1 to respectively claim women's and men's breakdancing gold medals at the Hangzhou Asian Games on Saturday.

With their wins, both Liu and Nakarai qualified for breakdancing - or breaking, as it is known in official competitions - events at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

Liu had lost to Yuasa 2-1 to settle for silver in the 2022 WDSF World Breaking Championships held in South Korea, and the Chinese got her revenge by showing her powerful moves and good sense of rhythm in Hangzhou.

"It was not easy to get the gold medal, I always competed in overseas countries this year, which was a challenge to me. Getting an Olympic ticket made me more confident. I hope I can do well in Paris," 17-year-old Liu said.

Shigeyuki Nakarai (R) of Japan in action during the men's gold medal battle. (Xinhua/Yan Linyun)

21-year-old Nakarai had earlier beaten China's Qi Xiangyu 3-0 in the semifinals, and praised his competitor. "I feel that Chinese dancers have become increasingly powerful through the Hangzhou Asian Games, and I think that breakdancing is developing very quickly in China," Nakarai said.