Sya Dembélé
 Dembélé in 2022, raising her leg | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Born | 1 September 2007 Saint-Étienne, France | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Sya Dembélé (born 1 September 2007), also known mononymously as Syssy, is a French breakdancer.
Early life and education
[edit]Sya Dembélé was born on 1 September 2007[1] in Saint-Étienne, France. She is the daughter of professional artists from the African dance group Doni Doni.[2][3] Her father was a griot in Burkina Faso, while her mother is a choreographer.[4]
Her family is passionate about dancing, and she started dancing at the age of eight.[1] Her brother Damani also practises breakdancing,[2] and she admired and emulated him. Her elder brother, Soso,[1] also has a high profile in the breakdancing world.[4]
Career
[edit]Dembélé, under her stage name Syssy, has been dancing internationally since she was nine years old, evolving in the group Melting Force.[2] The team was founded in 1999, and comprises around 15 members ranging from 10 to 40 years old.[4]
Dembélé participated in her first international competition recognized by the World DanceSport Federation in early 2022 (being too young to participate before), finishing 27th (and 3rd French) in the 2022 European Breakdance Championship.[2] In November 2022, she participated in the Red Bull BC One in New York City, the most prestigious international competition outside the federal circuit.[2]
In December 2022, she represented France at the Battle of the Year in Okinawa, a leading international competition in the breakdance world.[2]
On 7 May 2023, at the age of 16, Dembélé won the bronze medal at the 2023 European Breakdance Championship in Almería,[5] qualifying her for the 2023 European Games but failed to reach the podium. In September, she won the bronze medal at the World Championships in Leuven.[6]
In June 2024, Dembélé finished fourth in the Olympic Qualifier Series in Budapest, securing her ticket to the 2024 Summer Olympics[7] where Ami Yuasa won the gold medal.[8][9]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Paris 2024". Paris 2024 Olympics. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f Dorine Besson (30 November 2022). "À 15 ans, b-girl Syssy représentera la France au Battle of the Year international". lequipe.fr. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ Chloé Ripert (9 May 2023). "Qui est Syssy, 16 ans, la nouvelle pépite française du breakdance qui rêve des Jeux olympiques 2024 ?". ouest-france.fr. Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ a b c "Sya Dembele". Sport-Étude Magazine. Retrieved 16 August 2024.
- ^ Dorine Besson (7 May 2023). "À 16 ans seulement, b-girl Syssy médaillée de bronze aux Championnats d'Europe". lequipe.fr (in French). Retrieved 9 May 2023.
- ^ Dorine Besson (25 September 2023). "Médaillée de bronze aux Championnats du monde, b-girl Syssy se tourne vers les JO de Paris 2024". lequipe.fr (in French). Retrieved 27 September 2023.
- ^ Julie Lassale-Slama (24 June 2024). "Breakdance : la prodige Sya Dembélé qualifiée pour les Jeux de Paris". liberation.fr (in French). Retrieved 21 July 2024.
- ^ Pu, Jason. "6 B-Girls To Watch At The Paris 2024 Olympics". Forbes. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
- ^ "Breaking Results". Olympics.com.