B-Girl Kastet and B-Boy Shigekix Crowned Red Bull BC One Champions

B-Girl Kastet defended her Red Bull BC One women's title as Japanese B-Boy Shigekix triumphed in a stacked men's field to become the youngest ever winner at 17th edition of the competition held at Hangar-7 in Salzburg. 
 

B-Girl Kastet, a breaker from Russia, became the first dancer in history to win back-to-back Red Bull BC One titles, after defending the title she won in 2019. She went head-to-head with Red Bull BC One E-Battle 2020 Champion, B-Girl Madmax from Belgium, in the final, and won based on the slightly better execution of her dance moves.

Kastet, whose name means "brass knuckles" in English, is a member of 3:16 Crew and started breaking in 2010 at the age of 12. Going from Latin dances to judo, before finally discovering breaking, Kastet learned to dance from her crew, especially members B-Boy Marvel, and, her husband, B-Boy Jerry Metal.

In an interview after the final, Kastet said, "My secret is that I am not afraid to lose. I am just in the moment and want to represent myself in the best way, the true way."

Russia were denied a clean sweep of the titles however, when B-Boy Shigekix delivered outstanding musicality and variety to defeat B-Boy Alkolil, who is known for his combination of power, footwork and tricks. B-Boy Shigekix, 18, became the youngest competitor to take the title in front of cheering breaking fans and the competitors' crews, who were on LED screens alongside the central stage in a virtual experience throughout.

B-Boy Shigekix, whose full name is Nakarai Shigeyuki, discovered breaking at the age of seven through his older sister, B-Girl Ayane. With a unique style of breaking, he is known for his fast and controlled power moves, mixed with unexpected, on-beat freezes.
 

Shigekix is no stranger to big events either. At the age of 15, Shigekix became the youngest B-Boy in history to enter the Red Bull BC One World Final in 2018, where he was eliminated in the semifinals by B-Boy Menno. He also became one of the first breakers to win an Olympic medal when he took home bronze at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires.

Speaking about his victory after the final, Shigekix said, "I'm super happy and I still can't believe it's real. I worked so hard for this competition. Not only this year, I have been working hard to win this."

In total, sixteen breakers representing 11 countries competed at this year’s Red Bull BC One World Finals. The event serves as the de facto world championships for the discipline of breaking, which has been proposed for inclusion at the Olympic Games in 2024. The event also aimed to inspire local breaking communities and to help celebrate a cultural phenomenon rooted in the early 1970s hip-hop and New York City street culture.

The 2020 Red Bull BC One World Finals were livestreamed globally on Red Bull TV, and a full replay of the event can be found on the streaming service as well. It is expected that a decision on breaking’s inclusion at the Paris 2024 Summer Olympic Games will be made in December at the upcoming IOC Executive Board Meeting.