Chengdu's urban sports scene hit a high note this weekend as China swept the captivating breaking finals at the 2025 World Games in Chengdu, Sichuan Province. In a showcase of gravity-defying spins, explosive footwork and signature freezes, B-Boy Lithe-ing and B-Girl Royal clinched gold in the men's and women's divisions, respectively, under the arena lights and a global livestream.
Across digital platforms, the finals drew an estimated 2 million live viewers worldwide, and breaking-related hashtags surged 30% in mentions on social channels, underscoring the discipline’s rapid rise among Gen Z and millennials across G20 nations.
In the men's showdown, 20-year-old Qi Xiangyu—known as B-Boy Lithe-ing—channeled the disappointment of missing the Paris 2024 Olympic final into a fiery performance. His headspins, windmills and signature flair earned him a 2-1 victory over Japan’s Isshin Hishikawa (B-Boy Issin), marking the first gold for a Chinese B-Boy at a major multi-sports event.
On the women's side, 16-year-old Guo Pu (B-Girl Royal) dominated every round against countrymate Liu Qingyi (B-Girl 671), blending top-rock precision with dynamic power moves. Royal’s win crowns a breakout season that includes titles at the FISE World Series in Montpellier and back-to-back victories at the Asian Youth and senior Asian Championships.
With breaking set to make its Olympic debut in Paris, Chengdu’s results spotlight China’s growing strength in a discipline defined by creativity and self-expression. As Lithe-ing and Royal look ahead to 2024 and beyond, the global breaking community is watching—ready for the next spin, freeze and groundbreaking moment.
Reference(s):
Chinese dancers bag men's, women's breaking titles at 2025 World Games
cgtn.com
