A silver medal, and another moment in the spotlight
The countdown began: “Five, four, three, two, one.” As the crowd joined in, the scores for the two finalists appeared together on the screen. The reveal was part of the drama of breaking, where a head-to-head dance contest can feel as much like a celebration as a sporting competition.
South Korean breaker Kim Hong-yul, better known as Hongten, won silver in the men’s event at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. In the final, held at Aichi Sky Expo in Tokoname, Japan, he lost 0–3 to Japan’s Shigekix, who is 24.
Hongten’s silver is his second consecutive Asian Games medal. He won gold at the Hangzhou Games, which were held in 2023 after being postponed from 2022.
The result ended his bid for a second straight title, but it added another milestone to a career that has continued well beyond the age at which many athletes leave elite competition. The crowd responded especially strongly to his performance, and Hongten said his main goal had been to forget the pressure and enjoy the moment.
A different approach from his first Asian Games
After the final, Hongten joked that he might have had a better chance if he were five years younger. But he also said the experience felt different from his first Asian Games: in Hangzhou, he had focused on winning because a place at the Olympics was at stake. This time, he felt more able to give himself over to the dance.
That change mattered to him even though he did not take gold. He said he had probably smiled more during this competition than at any other, and that he had achieved his first goal: to enjoy the event. His familiarity with the Games also let him perform with more confidence and control than before.
What happens in a breaking battle?
Breaking is a dance style built around individual movement, improvisation and competition. In a battle, dancers take turns performing to music, responding to the rhythm and to what their opponent has just done; judges compare qualities such as technique, originality, musicality and execution (how cleanly a move is performed).
- Technique means control, strength and the ability to perform difficult movements safely and precisely.
- Originality is the dancer’s personal style and ability to make a performance feel distinctive.
- Musicality is how closely movement follows, plays with or responds to the beat and sound.
The format makes each round more than a sequence of tricks. A dancer has to make decisions in real time, much like a musician improvising with a band or a tennis player adjusting to an opponent’s next shot.
Preparation built around the demands of the dance
Ahead of the Games, Hongten trained at South Korea’s Jincheon National Training Center. His schedule included strength work in the morning, dance practice in the afternoon and additional individual training in the evening. He prepared carefully because breaking places unusual demands on the whole body.
The dance can involve rapid turns, floor movements, holds and rotations, often strung together without much time to recover. For a competitor in his early 40s, managing stamina and physical strain is a central part of preparation—not simply an extra consideration. Training has to support both the explosive movements seen on the floor and the ability to repeat them across several rounds.
“If I had been just five years younger, I think I could have given it a real shot,” Hongten said after the final, while smiling about the narrow margin between his ambition and the result.
His silver medal followed a performance shaped by years of experience as well as intensive preparation. The final score went against him, but the audience’s response showed how strongly his presence connected with the people watching.
A career that began with friends and grew onto the world stage
Hongten started breaking in middle school, dancing with friends. At first, it was simply a way to spend time together. Over the years, the dance introduced him to new people and new challenges, becoming an important part of his life.
In 2002, he became the first South Korean breaker to win a world competition, helping bring wider attention to the country’s breaking scene. He later won the Red Bull BC One World Final—one of the most prominent international breaking competitions—three times, in 2006, 2013 and 2023.
He has said that the feeling of winning his first international title in 2002 has stayed with him. Competing at the Asian Games, too, became one of the experiences he expects to remember for the rest of his career. Together, those milestones trace a sport and a performer that have changed substantially over more than two decades.
A sport shaped by changing generations
Breaking’s competitive scene is continually influenced by younger dancers, new movement styles and changing musical trends. For an older competitor, staying in the conversation can mean learning from athletes who may have grown up with different influences and approaches.
Hongten said that learning how younger dancers move has become a source of motivation. Rather than insisting on doing everything his own way, he has tried to keep absorbing new trends. He said that process has kept the dance interesting and helped him continue.
Why his example reaches beyond the medal table
Hongten’s result carries a message beyond the final standings. Competing at a high level in a physically demanding discipline in his early 40s challenges the idea that there is one age by which a person must have finished trying something new. His example does not make the physical demands disappear; it shows what years of practice, adaptation and commitment can make possible.
He said he wanted his effort to show that a new beginning can still be possible when someone feels it is too late. He also hopes his challenge can offer others a little courage and hope. For someone who has been thinking, “I can’t do this,” or “What’s the point now?”, his message is to give the attempt a chance before deciding it is out of reach.
That message reflects his own experience. Hongten has said that life has brought difficult moments, and that dancing helped him find reasons to smile again. Even on a night when the gold medal eluded him, he took pleasure in the performance and the crowd’s energy.
“I hope people can watch breaking, smile for a little while and come away with some energy,” he said.
What comes next for Hongten
The silver medal does not settle what Hongten will do next, and he did not present the result as an ending. Instead, he spoke about the continuing appeal of learning, adapting and sharing the floor with a younger generation. His approach suggests that longevity in sport can depend not only on physical preparation, but also on staying curious and willing to change.
His Asian Games record now includes gold in Hangzhou and silver in Aichi-Nagoya. The two medals tell different stories: one of reaching the top, and another of returning years later to compete against a new field. For Hongten, the dance, rather than the medal color, remains the reason to keep moving.
