Breaking: Leon Dwyer on a sport that’s tackling barriers and preconceptions

"I've done other sports. I've played football and trained for karate and boxing and nothing compares to breaking, in my opinion."

Leon Dwyer: 'I've done other sports. I've played football and trained for karate and boxing and nothing compares to breaking, in my opinion.' Picture: Damien McCarthy

Odds are that Leon Dwyer isn’t your idea of a typical Olympian. Baseball caps, baggy tees and hoodies are the accepted uniform for an entire subculture. It’s not the look most would associate with an athlete as they wave to the crowds at the opening ceremony or step onto a podium to have a medal draped around their necks.

You won’t have seen Dwyer’s results in the sports pages. His domain isn’t a track, a pool or a court but the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) decision to introduce breaking — please don’t call it breakdancing — to its programme of events for Paris in 2024 means that this Dublin b-boy could be joining our elite swimmers, boxers and runners at the Games.