Philip Kim (breakdancer)
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| Birth name | Philip Kim | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| National team |  Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | January 25, 1997[1] Toronto,[2] Ontario, Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Canada | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Breaking | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Philip Kim (born January 25, 1997),[3] also known as Phil Wizard, is a Canadian breakdancer. He is the men's 2024 Summer Olympic gold medal winner and 2022 World champion in the discipline.[4][5]
Early life
[edit]Kim was born to Korean parents in Toronto, Canada. He attended Magee Secondary School in Vancouver, where he frequently excused himself from classes to go to the bathroom to try new moves and practice in the hallway.[6] He briefly attended university before dropping out to pursue breaking full time.[7]
Career
[edit]Kim's love of breaking began in 2009, when he saw the Now or Never (N.O.N.) crew performing street shows in downtown Vancouver.[8][7] His stage name was given to him by accident: after consistently being introduced as ‘Phil from the Wizards crew’ people eventually began to shorten it to 'Phil Wizard'.[9] He has since admitted that the name would not have been his first choice.[9]
In 2015, Phil Wizard entered the inaugural Canadian Red Bull BC One national championship with a chance to qualify for the North American competition, which led to the World Championship. However, he lost to Fléau of Montreal in the final round of the Toronto competition.[10]
Kim won the gold medal at the 2022 WDSF World Breaking Championships in Seoul, South Korea, beating out more than 250 competitors for his world title.[11][12][9] In 2023, Kim won gold at the WDSF Pan American Breaking Championship in Santiago, Chile followed by silver at the 2023 WDSF World Breaking Championship.[13][14]
In 2022, Phil traveled to Seoul, Korea to train with Hong 10, focusing on stamina for competitions. After training, they engaged in a 20-minute battle, completing 17 rounds before Phil conceded.[15]
In August 2023, Kim was named to Canada's 2023 Pan American Games team.[16]
Kim won gold in the inaugural 2024 Olympic Breakdancing competition.[17]
Personal life
[edit]Kim lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.[8]
References
[edit]- ^ "Athletes:Philip Kim". www.toyotatimes.jp. Toyota Times. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ Said, Amir (September 5, 2024). "GALLERY: Olympic champion brings breakdancing to the Foothills". Western Wheel.
- ^ CORPORATION, TOYOTA MOTOR. "Phillip Kim｜ GLOBAL TEAM TOYOTA ATHLETES | SPORTS | TOYOTA TIMES". TOYOTATIMES (in Japanese). Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "Philip Kim". Team Canada - Official Olympic Team Website. August 25, 2023. Retrieved January 25, 2024.
- ^ "DANY DANN vs PHIL WIZARD Results". olympics.com. August 10, 2024. Retrieved August 10, 2024.
- ^ https://vancouversun.com/news/local-news/vancouver-dancer-kid-olympic-dream
- ^ a b "Phil Wizard's memorable journey to becoming a full-time b-boy". Red Bull. June 3, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ a b "Phil Wizard". Red Bull. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
- ^ a b c Kelly, Cathy (August 8, 2023). "Life's good for Phil Wizard, who gets all the breaks". Globe and Mail. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ "Fléau takes the Red Bull BC One Canada Cypher". redbull.com. March 14, 2017. Retrieved August 20, 2024.
- ^ Durant, Jay (November 1, 2022). "B.C. breakdancer wins world championship, sets eyes on 2024 Olympic debut". Global News. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ Gillespie, Kerry (March 19, 2023). "How breakdancing's big Olympic break changed the game for one Canadian world champion". Toronto Star. Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ "Phil Wizard, Luma reign supreme at inaugural Pan Am Championship". www.worlddancesport.org/. World DanceSport Federation (WDSF). May 31, 2023. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ McGoldrick, Hayley (September 24, 2023). "Phil Wizard finishes second at World Breaking Championships". www.olympic.ca/. Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved October 5, 2023.
- ^ "Phil Wizard on the breaking community, looking forward to Paris, and more". Red Bull. July 10, 2024. Retrieved September 19, 2024.
- ^ "Four Team Canada athletes set to make history in breaking's Pan American Games debut at Santiago 2023" (Press release). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: Canadian Olympic Committee. Retrieved September 30, 2023.
- ^ Shen, Nono (August 13, 2024). "Phil (Wizard) Kim's breaking gold helped introduce sport to the world, mentor says". CBC Sports.
External links
[edit]- Artist profile of Philip Kim on Redbull.com
- 1997 births
- 21st-century Canadian sportsmen
- Breakdancers at the 2023 Pan American Games
- Breakdancers at the 2024 Summer Olympics
- Canadian breakdancers
- Canadian people of Korean descent
- Living people
- Medalists at the 2023 Pan American Games
- Olympic gold medalists for Canada
- Sportspeople from Toronto
- Medalists at the 2024 Summer Olympics
- Olympic medalists in breakdancing
- Olympic breakdancers for Canada