Chinese breaker Liu Qingyi made her Olympic debut at the 2024 Paris Summer Games as the sport was introduced to the world's premier multisport competition for the first time, and finished with a bronze medal.
In an interview with CGTN Sports Scene's Greg Laffradi, the 18-year-old known as "B-Girl 671" sent a message to young breakdancers looking to follow in her footsteps: trust themselves and dream big.
"Trust yourself, trust the process. You should be yourself first," Liu said. "Then you can overcome so many problems. You should do yourself first. You should trust yourself and to do as you want and as you dream."
Liu's lost to Dominika Banevic of Lithuania in the semifinals, and her opponent in the bronze medal contest was India Sardjoe of the Netherlands, against whom she performed with a new set of moves to seal the victory.
"After the semifinal, I know I can't go to the final. So the next battle is the most important. I should win. I have a feeling that I must win," Liu said. She recalled losing to Sardjoe in the semifinals at the Red Bull BC One Final 2022. So in Paris, the Chinese B-Girl wanted revenge and got it in the end.
Liu believes she did her best at the 2024 Paris Summer Games and thinks participating in the Olympics helped her growth.
"Step by step. I think it's only a process of my life," Liu said. "The Olympics is a milestone in breaking and for myself. So I'm happy I can compete in so many high-quality competitions, and I grew up."