Taipei, Aug. 20 (CNA) Breakdancer Sun Chen (孫振), also known as B-Boy Quake, has set a milestone in Taiwan's breakdancing history by becoming the first Taiwanese to reach the final at The Notorious IBE, a major hip hop dance gathering in the Netherlands.
Quake lost to Colombian B-Boy Alvin in the men's solo final in Heerlen on Sunday, capping off his historic run at the three-day breaking competition, which he referred to as "the stage I watched since I was little" in an Instagram post after the final battle.
"When I knew I made it to the final, I was thinking: 'Am I going to make history?'" said Sun, acknowledging that he was the first Taiwanese to clinch the final berth in the prestigious tournament.
However, he regretted that this thought might have hindered his performance since he danced less freely than he had done in the previous rounds.
Sun had outdanced Alvin 2-0 at the B-Boys pre-qualifiers of an Olympic Qualifier series in Budapest in late June.
Now 24, the b-boy from Taiwan's Hsinchu area has solidified his reputation as a trailblazer for Taiwanese breakdancers with his appearance in the first-ever breaking event at the Paris Olympics.
Although he failed to advance to the quarterfinals in Paris, recording 1-2 in the group stage, he demonstrated how he had taken his moves to the next level after just one week.
Commenting on his growth as a competitive breakdancer, Sun said, "I feel I'm even better than when I was at the Games."
Unlike in Paris, where he focused more on choreographed moves, "It was all about the music and the moments this time," he wrote on Instagram.
In addition to the individual event, Sun also competed in the five vs. five crew battle as a member of City4Crew, but they were ousted in the quarterfinals.
He will next compete at Outbreak Europe in Slovakia and The World Battle in Portugal.
