Olympian B-Boy Phil Wizard On Breaking, Fashion And Aspirations

At 27 years old, Phil “Phil Wizard” Kim is one of the top breakers in the world, with multiple world championship titles and sponsorships from the likes of Red Bull, Toyota, and Visa. The Vancouverite will be Canada’s representative at the first ever Olympic breaking competition.

I had the pleasure of chatting with Phil about a few topics, including his preparation for Paris 2024, thoughts on competition outfits and the Team Canada kit, as well as his hopes for breaking.

History in the Making

To Phil, breaking being in the Olympics is a huge milestone and opportunity to spotlight this lesser known art and sport. Understanding the pressure of representing himself, his country, and breaking, the first time Olympian has been training harder and more often. He reckons the mental aspect is “the hardest part when you’re training consistently, like six days a week, and you’re pushing yourself every day.”

What keeps Phil Wizard going every day is an undying passion for breaking–he loves the community, the competition, the energy, and the possibilities. The freedom of individuality is a key point of differentiation for breaking vs. other Olympic sports. “It’s not necessarily the fastest or the strongest who’s going to win,” it’s whoever is executing and making their performance resonate with the judges and the audience.

“I feel like I’m living in a really fun game,” he grins.

Looking Fresh

Fashion has always been an integral part of hip hop as an avenue for self expression, so it’s only fitting that the Olympic breakers show off their flyest outfits.

While shoes may be the most emblematic clothing item for breakers, Phil Wizard also pays plenty of attention to his pants: “I think the silhouette of the pants can often deem how comfortable and fresh I feel, which then translates to performance and mental confidence going into the battle.”

As a lululemon ambassador, Phil was one of the first to try on the lululemon x Team Canada Athlete Kit that will be worn in Paris, and he’s impressed. In a fashion-forward city like Paris, he expects “a little bit of a competition between countries of who has the dopest fit…and Canada is definitely up there.” He also gives a nod to the podium tracksuit that he tried on in the Outshine Gold campaign, which he says is comfortable, breathable, and “feels like home” for a breaker.

Making His Mark

Phil Wizard wants to leave it all behind on the Olympic stage: “I want to show all my moves. I have a lot of content and I want to be able to show it all. And what content comes out will be purely based on the moment.” The Canadian is known in the breaking community as one of the more unique and quirky b-boys with technical skills to match. Moves like “zombie walk,” “swimming,” and the “neck break” entrance are his calling cards.

Phil is confident in his strengths, like his diverse vocabulary and spontaneity, but he also recognizes that his Olympic rivals will be the cream of the crop. Out of all the 15 others on the roster, he wants to see Dutch b-boy Lee (Lee-Lou Diouf Demierre) in the battle for gold. Lee recently won both Olympic Qualifier Series to secure his spot in Paris, so Phil’s wish could very well become reality. Phil notes the two are good friends and “meeting him in the finals…would be like, these are the two best breakers in the world right now competitively.”

Beyond Gold

As important as the 2024 Paris Olympics are, Phil doesn’t lose sight of the bigger picture. The world of breaking is more than just one event and it is poised to grow further as the Olympics brings new audiences in.

“I want kids to see it and fall in love with it and be like, I want to break, and I want this community to grow. The hope is that people fall in love with it and want to continue watching it after the Olympics.” Phil wants to see people get involved however they can, whether that’s attending local events, helping to organize them, or supporting their kids who may be interested in learning.

Whether he brings home the gold or not, breaking is a craft that Phil Wizard will continue to hone. He professes, “There’s always more I can add to it…there’s always lessons learned, there’s always growth…you’re constantly humbled and constantly challenged.”