Philip Kim (breakdancer) facts for kids
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| Birth name | Philip Kim | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | January 25, 1997 Toronto, Ontario, Canada |
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| Country |  Canada |
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| Sport | Breaking | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Philip Kim, born on January 25, 1997, is a super talented Canadian breakdancer. You might know him better by his stage name, Phil Wizard! He won the gold medal at the 2024 Summer Olympics for breaking. He was also the world champion in 2022.
Contents
Early Life
Philip was born in Toronto, Canada. His parents are from Korea. When he was in high school at Magee Secondary School in Vancouver, he loved practicing his breaking moves. He would even sneak off to the bathroom or hallways to try new steps! He went to university for a short time. But he decided to leave to focus completely on breaking.
Breaking Career
Philip's love for breaking started in 2009. He saw a dance group called Now or Never (N.O.N.) performing street shows in downtown Vancouver. That's when he knew he wanted to try it!
How He Got His Name
His stage name, Phil Wizard, was actually given to him by accident. People often introduced him as 'Phil from the Wizards crew'. Over time, it just got shortened to 'Phil Wizard'. He has said that it wouldn't have been his first choice for a name, but it stuck!
Early Competitions
In 2015, Phil Wizard entered the first-ever Canadian Red Bull BC One national championship. This competition could lead to the North American and then the World Championship. However, he lost in the final round in Toronto to a dancer named Fléau from Montreal.
Becoming a Champion
Phil Wizard won the gold medal at the 2022 WDSF World Breaking Championships in Seoul, South Korea. He beat over 250 other dancers to become the world champion! In 2023, he won gold at the WDSF Pan American Breaking Championship in Santiago, Chile. After that, he earned a silver medal at the 2023 WDSF World Breaking Championship.
In 2022, Phil traveled to Seoul, Korea, to train with another famous breakdancer, Hong 10. They worked on building up his stamina for competitions. They even had a long 20-minute battle, doing 17 rounds before Phil decided to stop.
In August 2023, Philip was chosen to be part of Canada's team for the 2023 Pan American Games.
Olympic Gold
Phil Kim made history by winning the gold medal in the first-ever Olympic Breakdancing competition in 2024.
Personal Life
Philip Kim lives in Vancouver, British Columbia.
