SA breakdancer Courtnae Paul gearing up for Olympic Qualifiers

Paul is one of four African female break dancers set to compete at the Olympic Qualifier Series, where the top 40 will be competing for 10 spots to participate in the 2024 Paris Games.

Speaking to SABC Sport, Paul says she’s been sharpening her skills in different competitions to lay the groundwork for the qualifiers.

"Prep for the Olympic Qualifier Series is going well, I think. I mean, I've got nothing to compare it to, but I'm about two months out so I've been working really hard with my different coaches – from strength and conditioning to technical," said Paul.

"And then I've also been testing my skills wherever I can, like this weekend I'll be competing at the Redbull BC One national final, and I think that's all I can really do is dig deep into my style, do what I want to do and focus on that, and I hope the training shows."

Breakdancing was first introduced at the Youth Olympic Games in Buenos Aires back in 2018 and has since been introduced as a new sport at this year’s Games, along with Surfing, Skateboarding, and Sport Climbing.

Paul says her trip to the qualifiers will be self-funded, as with most of her trips, although the local federations will at least cover her accommodation.

"Once we get to Shanghai and Budapest, the local federations do cover our accommodation, but in order for us to get there, currently it will be self-funded – as with a lot of the previous trips," she added.

"I mean we would love to have a lot more support, but at the end of the day, if you want something bad enough, you'll make it happen."