Canada's Olympic breaking hopefuls excited for sport's Pan Am Games debut

The sport of breaking is entering uncharted territory.

Set to make its Pan American Games debut this week in Santiago, Chile, breaking, also known as breakdancing, will take its place alongside other Olympic sports at a major Games for the first time.

B-boys and B-girls from across the Americas, including four from Canada, will battle to qualify for the first-ever Olympic breaking competitions next summer in Paris. The men's and women's Pan Am champions earn Olympic spots.

Vancouver's Philip Kim, known as Phil Wizard, is part of a new generation of breakers chasing Olympic gold, showcasing the competitive art form as a high-level international sport. He won a world title last year and qualified for the Pan Am Games with gold at the 2023 Pan Am Championships in May.

WATCH l Kim on how he fell in love with the sport:

The 26-year-old is looking forward to his first taste of the multi-Games experience as he continues his journey to reach the Olympics.

"I'm super excited to be a part of the debut for the Pan Am games," Kim told CBC Sports. "It will be kind of a good precursor to the actual Olympic Games, going there a week early, feeling the environment, meeting other Canadian athletes as well.

While Kim missed a chance to earn an Olympic berth at this year's worlds in September, losing in the final, he feels confident about locking it up with a historic Pan Am title in Santiago.

"Coming off of the world championship a couple of weeks ago and just last week doing the Red Bull BC One World Finals, which is also a very high-level competition, I'm feeling pretty confident about my chances going into Pan Am," Kim said. "I'm also feeling very comfortable and confident on a big stage."

WATCH l Kim finishes 2nd at Red Bull BC