This summer, Breaking will make her debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics, and b-girl Sunny Choi is ready to make history. In fact, she has already done so! Choi became the first American woman to qualify for the Olympics last October when she won gold at the Pan American Games.
Choi spent her adolescence as a gymnast and aspired to compete in the Olympics, but a knee injury forced her to quit the sport at just 18. Soon, as a freshman at Penn, she discovered some break dancers dancing on campus and they invited her to take classes with them. She accepted their invitation and has been dancing ever since. “It all started with practice, with someone teaching me what I was observing,” she said. “Once I know the first few basic steps, I then figure it out on my own. It takes a lot of observation, experimentation, and pushing myself outside of my comfort zone.
Leaving her comfort zone initially posed a major challenge for Choi. “With gymnastics, I would repeat what I was taught to do over and over again until I was perfect,” she said. “In a breakout, you allow mistakes to happen, and you own them. I hated being in situations where I didn’t know how to be creative. I used to sit in the corner and watch without participating. But ultimately, Choi didn’t want to be defeated by fear. She chose to overcome the obstacles that stood in her way and dance on her feet. Choi first encountered Break in 2007 and entered her first local competition a few years later. By 2015, her talent and confidence had grown exponentially. grew through the ranks and gained fame in international breakdancing competitions.
While developing her talent as a dancer, Choi began working in the corporate world, most recently as Director of Global Creative Operations for Estée Lauder. “Until 2023, dancing was a hobby for me,” Choi said. “It wasn’t until this Olympic path came along that I felt like I could make a living from it,” she said. In fact, it took Ms. Cui a long time to decide to participate in the Olympics. “I knew I had to quit my job and give up everything I had worked for.” In 2021, shortly after breakdancing was approved for the 2024 Paris Olympics, all the dancers around Choi started talking about their desire to compete. “Everyone was determined to do this, but all I could think about was the sacrifices I had to make,” she said. “But as time went on, I started to realize that it was actually just my fear of failure that was holding me back. I was blocking my own way. So instead of dwelling on things that would make the Olympics difficult, Choi Determined to succeed, “It was like the early days of breakdancing, where I would stand paralyzed in the corner,” she said. “I couldn’t do this to myself anymore. I had to give it a try. In January 2024, she quit her job to work full-time, and by November 2023, she was officially an Olympian.
Here, she talks about her Olympic journey, her Olympic goals, and her advice for dancers like her with professional aspirations.
Her Olympic training regimen “The first thing I did was find a strength and conditioning coach, as well as a therapist who specializes in sports psychology. I also created a schedule that would allow me to balance training with other obligations I had. My Training is split half and half between dance and gym, and then a few hours of recovery and yoga. On top of that, I go to so many competitions every week.
About Olympic Qualification “A total of 16 men and 16 women are eligible. Five of them are champions of their respective continental competitions, one of whom won this year’s World Championship, and 10 will qualify through trials in May 2024.
Your qualification is based on world rankings, and that number comes from the Olympic circuit’s points system. None of these events are held in the United States, one is held in Canada, possibly two are held in South America, and the rest are held in Europe and Asia. Traveling is tiring for us, but we have to work hard to earn points. I ended up qualifying for the Pan American Games [the continental games for the Americas] But my world ranking will also earn me a spot.
What it’s like to be an Olympian “Oddly enough, the initial feeling wasn’t excitement, but relief. I passed. I did it. I’m halfway there. It still feels so far away, but I’m relieved that I secured my spot and now I’m Just do what I have to do.
her racing goals “I want to have fun and be myself. Of course, it’s nice to win, but to be happy with my dance or the way I’m showing myself to the world instead of going home with a medal and not enjoying it makes me feel better.” I feel better.
Her advice to other saboteurs with Olympic dreams “Everyone has a different starting point, but ultimately it’s important to look at yourself and be honest. What do you want and why do you want it? Be honest about what the sacrifices are and whether you are willing to make them. Then, trust your gut and Just do it. It’s scary, but that’s what makes it more valuable.
