Lithuanian Dominika Banevic, 17, is confident of winning the gold medal in breaking’s Olympic debut in Paris, despite her young age and coming from a country with no tradition in the sport.

Banevic, who won the 2023 world title in Belgium, is ranked world No. 3 entering Paris. Her b-girl name is "Nicka."

"Breakdancing is special because age is not very important," Banevic said. "You can be 12, 16 or 25 – the only thing important is how well you can dance."

"My biggest dream is the Olympic medal -- a gold one -- but any medal is important," she added.

Paris could end up being the only Olympics to award breaking medals. Los Angeles has said the sport will not be part of the Games program in 2028 and it is unlikely to return in Brisbane in 2032.

Banevic was nine when she set herself the goal of becoming the best in the world. She has been training on her own since she was 11 years old, when her first coach retired.

“The decision (to train alone) came naturally," she said. "I knew I want to devote all my life to breakdancing, I already knew the basics and I was at the level where I could begin creating my own moves. This helped me craft my own unique style."

She creates her routines by improvising to her favorite music, examines the footage of herself dancing and asks for advice of her breaking friends around the world.

"The moves come out of nowhere," Banevic said. "Then comes the grueling work of honing the new moves, which are often physically demanding."

Working from Lithuania, a Baltic nation of 2.9 million people, Banevic started off by watching documentaries about the hip-hop culture of early 1980s New York.

"I was actually pushed forward by the fact that I am from Lithuania, a small country," Banevic said. "This meant that I needed to try even more to prove (myself).

"Knowing history is important, but more important is to move forward, to create your own original moves."

Banevic says her biggest reward is hearing that her example has inspired others to take up breaking.

"I used to think about winning a lot, but now I just try to enjoy the process," she said. "And when you do that, winning comes naturally."