Stellar Olympic performances spark craze for emerging sports(2)

Youth power

Deng, after unexpectedly winning China's first BMX freestyle gold medal at Paris 2024, is determined to promote the sport among a wider audience in the country.

"Because in the Olympic family, this discipline is indeed very young," Deng said.

Though BMX racing made its debut in Beijing 2008, BMX freestyle became an Olympics event only at the 2021 Tokyo Games in Japan, with the participation of 18 athletes. Back then, no Chinese riders qualified for the event. BMX freestyle arrived late in China, with a national team being formed in 2018.

However, at Paris 2024, Team China consistently broke new ground in the "young" disciplines.

In speed climbing, a vertical racing event that made its Olympic debut as a stand-alone discipline for both men and women in Paris, China's speedster Deng Lijuan bagged the women's silver medal on Aug 7. The following day, her compatriot 22-year-old Wu Peng, claimed the silver medal in the men's event with a timing of 4.77 seconds, finishing just 0.02 seconds behind Indonesia's Veddriq Leonardo.

Similarly, Team China secured three Olympic slots in breaking, a new discipline in the Games program, with the 18-year-old B-girl Liu Qingyi clinching bronze.

With her powerful stage presence and distinctive technical style, Liu has repeatedly made it to the podium in some of the most important international breaking competitions.

Recently, she secured her spot at The World Games 2025 after winning the silver medal in the women's event at the 2024 WDSF World Breaking Championships on Dec 21 in Chengdu, Sichuan province. Her compatriot Wang Ruimiao, 19, seized bronze.

Breaking brings a distinctive atmosphere that sets it apart from the more traditional events at the Olympic Games. It builds up a vibe that is very different from that of other conventional events.

At the first-ever Olympic Breaking event held at Parc Urbain from Aug 9 to 10, the high-energy MC duo ignited the crowd with some interactive hype. Solo battlers, dressed in outfits that showcased their individuality and sporting trendy hairstyles, showcased their footwork, freezes and power moves on the circular stage.

The audience cheered and waved their hands in sync with the music. The event felt more like a lively party.

"Breaking won't follow a set pattern. I think that's what young people are all about — seeking limitless possibilities. It makes young people feel like it's a lot of fun, and I think that's what really keeps it attractive," said Yin Guochen, director of Chinese Dance Sport Federation.

Meanwhile, after making its debut at the Tokyo Games, skateboarding and surfing returned for its second Olympic iteration in Paris.

Fifteen-year-old Yang Siqi became China's first-ever Olympic surfer. Also the youngest competitor in the surfing event, she became the first to represent China as an up-and-coming surfing nation.

Yang, initially considered an underdog, impressed many with her boldness and determination. Despite being repeatedly knocked down by the powerful waves in Teahupo'o, Tahiti, French Polynesia, she persisted in her efforts to catch the waves time and time again.

The gifted young surfer, who was raised in the mountainous areas of Daliangshan, Sichuan province, and had not seen the sea until the age of nine, made it to the top 16.

Among others, Cui Chenxi achieved fourth place in the women's street skateboarding final at Paris 2024, marking China's best-ever Olympic skateboarding result. This feat came less than a year after the wunderkind became China's youngest-ever Asian Games medalist by winning gold in the street skateboarding event in Hangzhou in September 2023 at the age of 13.

The inclusion of these "young" disciplines in recent Games reflects the International Olympic Committee's wider aim to engage younger audiences and diversify the Olympics program. These modern sports have injected a dynamic energy into the Olympic Games, which has rich history spanning over two millennia.