'So much gratitude and pride': Sunny Choi ready for breaking debut at Paris Olympics (2024)

Sunny Choi is ready to break herself at the Paris Olympics and represent her greater community.

The Queens, New York, native who spent time in Philadelphia at the University of Pennsylvania participating in breaking as the sport makes its Olympic debut isn't lost on her.

The sport (and dance form) has made big strides to spin its way to this point.

"I have so much gratitude and pride to be able to represent for our community," Choi told reporters in Paris.

NBC10's Karen Hua shares the story of how Sunny Choi went from the University of Pennsylvania's Wharton School of Business to the Paris Olympics one spin at the time as she hits the floor in the new Olympic sport of breaking.

"We came from the streets in Black and brown communities," the 35-year-old American told reporters. "Breaking has really kind of globalized and now we have this extremely beautifully-diverse world."

“Everyone has different stories and we all get to share in something that transcends language even,” Choi said. “And, so it’s something that I’m so grateful to be a part of.”

What is Olympic breaking?

It's basically judged breakdancing.

Team USA breakers Victor Montavlo, Sunny Choi and Jeffrey Louis spoke Wednesday on tuning out the noise and celebrating breaking culture ahead of the sport’s first-ever Olympics event. “Everyone has different stories and we all get to share in something that transcends language even,” Choi told reporters. “And so it’s something that I’m so grateful to be a part of.”

"Breaking is a lot more accessible than a lot of other sports and art forms that are out there, you really just need a dance floor, some music," Choi said.

Judges at the Olympics will score B-Girls and B-Boys based on the Trivium judging system, which scores breakers on creativity, personality, technique, variety, performativity and musicality. The scores can fluctuate throughout the battle, based on how breakers respond to their opponents.

In all, 32 breakers – 16 women and 16 men – will compete over two days, Aug. 9 and 10, at the iconic Place de la Concorde, a public square in Paris that is being transformed into an open-air stadium for the Olympics. The outdoor venue is meant to be a nod to the culture of street battles in breaking.

The Paris Games could be their only shot at an Olympic medal — breaking won't be one of the sports at the Los Angeles Games in 2028.

For Team USA, the hope is that the spotlight at the Paris Games brings more respect and resources to breaking back home.

"It's something that I love so much," Choi said.

What music does Sunny Choi break to?

Choi'swarmup songs change often. The breaker had Kendrick Lamar's infectious “Not Like Us” on rotation. But recently, she's zoned out to her boyfriend's favorite song, “Étouffée” by Vince Staples.

“It's a nice chill kind of vibe,” she said at the Nike Athlete House in Paris. “But it's actually good for warming up like right before a battle. It gets you into it.”

Growing up, Sunny Choi always dreamed of going to the Olympics for gymnastics. This year, Choi is heading to the Paris Games as one of Team USA’s first-ever breakers with the help of her performance coach, Carl Paoli.

Choi said her other go-to song is Nas' “Hate Me Now” featuring Puff Daddy.

“It gets you in the mode to go destroy something,” she said. “I'll turn this on when I'm sprinting. ... It helps to motivate me. I can use the music to kind of change over time my mood. I can ramp up or ramp down using the music.”

Breaking back home

Ahead of breaking's Olympic debut this week, dancers from Philly-based Hip Hop Fundamentals brought the sport to the Comcast Center Plaza.

Benyaamin Barnes-McGee, director of operations for Hip Hop Fundamentals and a 5x world champion who goes by the B-Boy name BoxWon, said he was excited to showcase breaking and introduce people to the sport, artform and culture.

Barnes-McGee said he started breaking around the time Choi was attending school in Philadelphia. They've seen each other at competitions for years.

“She is very talented. Very talented," Barnes-McGee said. "A tactician and has a high chance of bringing home the gold. I think she is very calculated. That’s something I’ve always respected about her style."

Want to see Sunny Choi break herself?

Women's breaking gets underway at 10 a.m. ET with qualifying rounds.