“When we just knew that breaking is going to be in the Olympics, I had no doubt I’m going to do everything to end up there,” Kateryna Pavlenko told NPS ahead of her Olympic debut in Paris. Break-dancing or breaking is set to feature in the Olympics for the first time. For Ukrainian B-Girl Pavlenko, the historic debut of her sport is crucial for more than one reason.

When the Russia-Ukraine conflict began in 2022, B-Girl Kate was living in Los Angeles, USA. The 29-year-old from Kharkiv moved to the States in 2021 following her then-boyfriend and an Olympic dream. However, the conflict turned her life upside down as she lost two family members, while her parents moved to the Czech Republic. Today, her Olympic dream has taken on new meaning.

Kateryna Pavlenko’s humble beginnings

Growing up in Kharkiv, Pavlenko saw break-dancing find popularity in a city that became the hip-hop capital of Ukraine. After falling in love with the athletic art form, she began her journey in 2009. The first-time-Olympian joined something known as extreme dancing. While her mother didn’t approve of her daughter coming home with bruises from dance practice, she didn’t stop Pavlenko.

The then-14-year-old turned out to be a quick learner and within a year started traveling outside of her city for more lessons. As Kateryna Pavlenko became more proficient, she started dedicating all her free time to breaking. Soon, her family was taking the teenage B-Girl to competitions across Europe. By the time she crossed 20, Pavlenko was a star with Red Bull as a sponsor.

In 2021, she moved to pursue her sport in the USA and landed in Los Angeles, and that’s where she is currently based. Pavlenko, who stays in the U.S. with a work visa, lives in her own LA apartment and works as a “stylist in a pop-up clothing store” in the Golden State, according to The Athletic.

However, despite doing well in LA, the Russia-Ukraine conflict has only deepened her connection with her nation. The 29-year-old returned to the once besieged and re-captured Kharkiv, she could no longer recognize the city she had left. However, her 2023 journey only inspired B-Girl Kate to better represent her country in the Olympics. Yet, the road to Paris wasn’t easy.

Why the Paris Olympics is important for the break-dancer

Kateryna Pavlenko got two chances to qualify for the inaugural Olympic breaking competition in Paris. However, the Ukrainian fumbled during her first one in Shanghai. The pressure to qualify for the Olympics got to the 29-year-old as lost two head-to-heads against local star Zeng Yingying, and American Logan Edra. However, she didn’t make that same mistake in June.

While B-Girl Kate failed to make the top 8 in Shanghai, she didn’t let the pressure get to her during the last chance qualifier in June. Ultimately, she made it to Paris after winning a head-to-head battle against training Anna Ponomarenko. “I want to represent my country because that’s where I grew up, that’s where I started breaking, that’s what built me as a human, as a woman,” she said.

It was through this statement that Kateryna Pavlenko showed why competing at the Paris Olympics is so important to her. She’ll be over the moon to earn an Olympic medal during such a defining event in her sport. However, for the 29-year-old from Kharkiv, representing her nation means a lot more.