Amir Zakirov (Kazakh: Әмір Вадимұлы Зәкіров; born 10 October 1997) is a Kazakh breakdancer. After winning multiple breakdancing competitions, including the 2021 Red Bull BC One, he qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics. He was named to the Forbes Kazakhstan 30 Under 30 list in 2022.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Nickname | B-Boy Amir |
| Born | October 10, 1997 Petropavl, Kazakhstan |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Kazakhstan |
| Sport | Breakdancing |
Biography
editZakirov was born on 10 October 1997 in Petropavlovsk, Kazakhstan.[1] He grew up in a small Kazakh city and enjoyed dancing, but there were limited opportunities for him to do so.[2] He self-trained in parkour before discovering a breakdancing class in 2009.[1][2] Olympics.com noted:
One day while walking home from school he saw a poster advertising a breaking school. Sensing this was his chance he ripped the poster off the wall and brought it home to his parents. "I stole this poster so that other people wouldn't see it," Amir recalls remembering how much the discovery meant to him.[1][2]
Zakirov was signed up for classes, using limited money he had from selling copper.[3] When it became insufficient, he resorted to using the money his parents gave him for school lunch to take classes; he noted "I used the money my parents gave me for lunch in school to pay for the breaking. Because of this I had stomach pains from not eating all day, making it really hard to concentrate in school, but I wanted to use this money for breaking."[3][4] Eventually, the teacher allowed him to attend for free.[5]
At age 16, Zakirov graduated from school and moved to Omsk in Russia, then to Moscow aged 20.[5] In Russia, he joined the club Predatorz and PDVL crew.[3] In 2020, he won the Legits Blast tournament in Prague.[5] He opened 2021 by winning the Unbreakable championship and the Kazakhstan Cypher tournament.[3] Later that year, he won the Red Bull BC One championship.[3][6] He competed at the world championships in 2022 and received selection that year to the Forbes Kazakhstan 30 Under 30 list.[5] He won the Breaking for Gold tournament in Japan in 2023.[7] Zakirov competed at the 2024 Olympic Qualifier Series and qualified for the 2024 Summer Olympics, which featured breakdancing for the first time.[8]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Amir". Olympics.com.
- ^ a b c Merrell, Chloe; Encabo, Lorena (4 May 2023). "After breaking changed his life, B-Boy Amir is determined to set an example for a new generation: "I'm always ready."". Olympics.com.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ a b c d e Adelekun, Emmanuel (10 November 2021). "Get the story of Red Bull BC One 2021 B-Boy champion Amir". Red Bull.
- ^ Pu, Jason (1 August 2024). "2024 Paris Olympics Breakdancing: Breakers To Watch". Forbes.
- ^ a b c d "Амир Закиров, 24 | Номинация - Рейтинг Forbes" [Amir Zakirov, 24 | Nomination - Forbes Rating]. Forbes Russia (in Russian). 2022.
- ^ "Амир Закиров стал первым казахстанцем, который выступит на Олимпийских играх в брейкинге" [Amir Zakirov became the first Kazakhstani to compete in breaking at the Olympic Games]. The Village (in Russian). 25 June 2024.
- ^ Andreeva, Daria (25 February 2023). "Казахстанец Амир Закиров стал победителем турнира по брейкдансу в Японии" [Kazakhstani Amir Zakirov became the winner of the breakdancing tournament in Japan]. Forbes Kazakhstan (in Russian).
- ^ "Амир Закиров завоевал историческую олимпийскую квоту в брейкинге" [Amir Zakirov won a historic Olympic quota in breaking] (in Russian). National Olympic Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan. 24 June 2024.