Germany's top breakdancer hopes to compete at Paris Olympics
Breakdancing is a new discipline at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. Jilou will likely be the only German athlete going for gold. But first, she has to qualify.
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00:00 (upbeat music)
00:02 Power moves, athletic, energetic,
00:05 right side up or upside down.
00:08 Jilu from Berlin is Germany's top break dancer.
00:14 Break dance or simply breaking as the pros call it now
00:17 is their be all and end all.
00:19 - Hi, my name is Jilu.
00:20 My whole life is about breaking
00:21 and I'm ready for the Olympic Games 2024 in Paris.
00:25 - Break dancing is set to be an Olympic discipline
00:27 for the first time in the 2024 Paris Games.
00:31 What's 31 year old Jilu's plan
00:35 for landing on the winner's podium?
00:37 She practices up to four hours a day.
00:40 So is it still fun?
00:42 - I have the most fun when I'm practicing with my friends
00:47 and we just put on good music
00:48 and communicate with one another.
00:50 So one goes in, the next one goes in
00:52 and it sets up a kind of flow
00:54 and somehow you end up developing this energy together.
00:57 (upbeat music)
00:59 - Jilu grew up in an immigrant family
01:01 in modest circumstances.
01:03 Her late father came from Iraq.
01:05 She started break dancing at age 13.
01:07 How did her background influence her career?
01:10 - My parents were both artists and didn't earn much.
01:15 For myself, I've always wanted more
01:17 to travel and see the world.
01:19 When I realized that breaking offered me this opportunity,
01:22 that motivated me all the more.
01:24 It gave me that extra impetus to get even better.
01:27 So I'd be invited all over the world.
01:29 And it makes me proud to know
01:31 that I've worked for everything I have.
01:33 - Now she's the reigning German break dancing champion.
01:39 She's already won two bronze medals
01:41 in world championship meets.
01:43 She takes part in breaking battles all over the world
01:47 and serves as a spokeswoman for a major sports brand.
01:51 (upbeat music)
01:53 She can live entirely from break dancing,
01:57 extremely rare, especially for a woman.
02:00 So how did she get to where she is?
02:02 - I love what I do.
02:07 And I do it even if nobody were watching.
02:10 I do it even if I didn't get any money for it.
02:13 I draw a lot of energy from it.
02:18 - Athletes have to follow a strict daily routine
02:20 to have a chance at the Olympics.
02:22 She lose begins with a protein rich breakfast,
02:25 stretching and morning meditation.
02:28 What role does mental strength play for her
02:30 as a competitive athlete?
02:32 - I'd almost say mental strength plays the greatest part.
02:38 It's a bit like martial arts, but with a different opponent.
02:41 It's like someone who's bothering you
02:43 or maybe making some kind of gesture at you.
02:46 Then there's a huge audience in the jury
02:48 or you might get some music you don't really like
02:51 and you have to be just as present mentally
02:53 and not only know exactly what you're doing,
02:55 but who you are so you can go on with real self-confidence.
03:00 - On her way to the top,
03:01 she's had to deal with a few crises,
03:03 like for example, a torn ligament in 2022.
03:06 - When you suffer from an injury like a torn ligament
03:10 or meniscus or cruciate ligament, I've also had a slipped disc
03:15 when all that comes at once,
03:17 you really wonder if you'll ever be able to dance again
03:20 and you start thinking, would I really want a career
03:23 that could be over from one day to the next?
03:27 I really started to question that.
03:29 - What tips does Jilu have for beginners?
03:34 - If you feel like breaking, I've got three tips for you.
03:39 Firstly, stick with it.
03:40 Don't get discouraged.
03:42 Breaking isn't easy.
03:43 Sometimes it takes a while and then it usually works out.
03:46 Secondly, don't listen to other people
03:48 when they say you don't look that good.
03:50 If you feel it, if you're really into it, just do it.
03:53 It'll be cool and have fun.
03:55 - The one meter, 61 centimeter athlete has big ambitions.
04:02 What would it mean if she really brought home gold
04:05 from Paris?
04:06 - If I win at the Olympic Games,
04:10 it'd be like a life's dream coming true.
04:13 Then I think my soul can find a bit of peace
04:18 and I can go through life with a sense of balance.
04:21 And I know that I made it to the top
04:25 and did everything I could.
04:26 And then I think I'll be a bit less stressed.
04:30 - As Germany's only entry in the competition
04:34 for one of the 16 coveted B-Girl starting spots
04:37 at the Olympics, she's moving ever closer
04:39 to achieving that dream.