Dancesport joins race for first Olympic gold medal

The Philippines just found one more avenue to take in pursuit of its first Olympic gold medal. Becky Garcia, Dancesport Council of the Philippines president, said she felt confident the country can send athletes to the 2024 Paris Olympics now that breakdance has been included in its calendar.

“We have one foot inside the Olympics already,” Garcia said.

The Philippines collected 10 of the 14 medals in dancesport in the recent Southeast Asian Games. Two of the golds they missed out on, however, were those offered in breakdancing.

But Garcia said it’s still a positive sign for dancesport’s bid to get mainstream popularity.

“The talent is there, we have the program and dancing is very close to Filipinos because of their love of music,” Garcia said.

The pairs of Wilbert Aunzo and Pearl Marie Caneda, and Sean Micha Aranar and Ana Leonila Nualla bagged three gold medals each in the Latin and Standards disciplines, respectively.

Joining them in the goal haul were the partnerships of Michael Angelo Marquez and Stephanie Sabalo, and Mark Jayson Gayon and Mary Joy Renigen who chipped in two golds each.

The national dancers were some of the heavy contributors to the country’s gold medal machine, allowing the hosts to top the overall race with 149 golds.