When the music plays, hardly anyone dances like Juan de la Torre, known as Xak. At least, in the Old Continent. This Sunday, the Spanish b-boy has hung the bronze in the break dance Europeans, held in Almería. Born in Lucena (1986), Xak competed at home. The public, delivered, accompanied him in his gestures. to the beat Some, surely, surprised by his ability and that of all the athletes present; others, you can, analyzing each of the steps performed. Urban sports are growing and Spain is following the pace. The breaking, without going any further, will be Olympic in Paris 2024 and Xak, with results like this podium, gives reason to believe. With him, the Spanish ensures the presence in the European Games next month.
The Andalucía Urban, the event in which the WDSF Breaking European Championships, the most important continental breaking tournament, brought together several of the best specialists in the world. The United States, Japan or Canada are some of the greatest powers in the matter. The world ranking, however, is led by a Frenchman, Dany Dann, recent winner of the Gold Series in Rio de Janeiro and, until this Sunday, European champion. This time, he couldn’t make it to the final and, in the duel for third place, he faced a very inspired Xak, who raised his hands to his head after learning the judges’ verdict. The five, with the exception of one, French, opted en masse for the Spanish b-boy, superior in the three rounds that made up the tie.
From lawyer to goal in Paris
With the podium, Xak, who beat the Polish Wigor in the quarterfinals and lost to the Dutchman Lee in the semifinals (silver after losing to his compatriot Menno in the final), adds points in the Olympic ranking. The objective of the Spanish Federation of Sports Dance is to classify two representatives for Paris and Juan (he is only called that for his father, his mother and his brother), since the road to Olympism began, has established himself as the leader of something that, not so long ago, seemed impossible. On a large scale, due to the simple presence of breaking in a Games, and on a small scale, due to his personal history. He fell in love with the discipline at the age of 15 and at 29 he broke with everything to dedicate himself fully to it. Before, he practiced as a lawyer, since he has a law degree from the University of Granada. When there were no rooms available, he trained in the subway; Now, it does so at the Madrid High Performance Center (CAR), within the ADO program. If she arrived at the Games, she would do it at 38 years old, but with the illusion of a child. The same one that has pushed him in Almería, with a number one bronze.