Kateryna Pavlenko quickly rose to the spotlight thanks to her incredible skills, which were evident during the ‘Breaking B-Girls’ event at the Paris Olympics. ‘Breaking’ is typically recognized as a dance form that originated thanks to the rise of hip-hop culture, made its debut as an official sport this year in the Olympics, and Pavlenko owned the stage for the most part.

It wasn’t until facing China that she was eliminated from further competition. She lost to 671 of China, who bested the Ukrainians during the 27th battle in the quarterfinals. This was another big heartbreak since she lost one of her grandfathers and an aunt to the Russian attacks.

Moving to the USA saved Kateryna Pavlenko

The dancer had taken shelter in Los Angeles a year earlier to pursue her debut sport and hone her skills further. Partly it was also due to her ex-boyfriend who was also a keen lover of the dance form. Despite parting ways, Pavlenko continued following breakdancing and eventually represented her country in a global competition. Things would’ve been several times more difficult if she hadn’t moved to the USA. “My world was ruined, but then it got rebuilt,” recalled Pavlenko earlier this year.

Despite being a part of the Ukrainian team, the Americans won’t be too happy about this loss either. This is because despite competing against the Stars and Stripes in the bigger picture, she was still carrying their support. However, things may not be completely over for her. Although her parents retreated to the Czech Republic to be safer, losing the rest of the family members must have been emotionally painful for her.

Hopefully, we will get to see more of her until 2028 during different international competitions as well. Even though her defeat was upsetting, it wasn’t the first heartbreak at this year’s Olympics that had the power to unite a global fanbase.

Another female athlete left us in a stir of emotions

Uta Abe secured gold during her Olympic debut in Tokyo in the 52kg women’s judo event. She became an Olympic champion alongside her brother. This year, The Abe siblings were supposed to retain their spot as champions but the female athlete was unable to make it even to the quarterfinals. Abe was defeated by Uzbekistan’s Diyora Keldiyorova via ippon. This took a toll on her as she broke down emotionally in the middle of the arena, unable to process that she had lost in a matter of seconds. Her dream to retain her championship was shattered completely.

Not only were Japanese judo fans unhappy with this defeat but even the worldwide audience that Abe had gained displaying her skills as a judoka were upset by the scene. They couldn’t bare with the fact that the Japanese star was sobbing in the arms of her coach after facing a humiliating defeat. What is common between both of these women is that they worked hard behind the scenes and it showed but it just wasn’t in their stars to win at the Paris Olympics. Perhaps, destiny has a big comeback in store for them. We would have to wait and see how the cards unfold.

Who do you think will win the women’s breakdancing event at the Paris Summer Games?