Annoying end to an exciting and thrilling event. In breaking, an injury decided the final. Both the gold and silver medal winners were able to celebrate.
The Cologne dance athlete Mario Eckel has become German champion in breaking for the first time. At the finals 2023 in Duisburg’s landscape park Gießhalle, Eckel alias “M17” won the finalBattle against Stuttgart’s Bao Chau Nguyen aka “Chau-Lin”.
Injury decides final battle
Chau Lin injured his knee during a backflip during the first of 15 dance rounds and had to give up the final early. The 24-year-old “M17” and the 31-year-old “Chau Lin” can both be happy: By participating in the final, they qualified for the World Championships on September 23rd and 24th in Belgium.
Favorite “Double D” wins bronze
“M17” and “Chau Lin” had finished third and second at the 2022 championships. Last year’s winner “Double D” Dennis Dressel had to admit defeat this time in the semifinals “Chau Lin” with 1:2. As a three-time German champion, “Double D” was the championship favorite. In the end, the man from Nuremberg took bronze.
2024 Olympics for the first time
Breaking will make its debut at the Olympic Games in Paris in 2024.