Jeff Dunne

Northern NSW high school student Jeff Dunne from Casuarina on the Tweed Coast cemented his place as one of the youngest athletes that qualified for Paris when he won gold at the Oceania Breaking Championships at Sydney Town Hall in late 2023.

Competing as J Attack, Jeff prevailed over 37 other contenders from Papua New Guinea, New Zealand, Fiji and Australia.

“When I saw the scoreboard, I told myself I wouldn't cry, but then I saw my family and my friends soaked in tears, so I just had to let my emotions go," Jeff said.

"I know how much hard work and dedication I had to go through to make it to the Olympics."

Breaking is a style of dance which emerged from hip hop culture in the United States in the 1970s and is characterised by acrobatic movements, stylised footwork and the key role played by the DJ and the master of ceremonies during battles.

Born in the Philippines and adopted by an Australian family as a baby, Jeff took part in his first breakdancing classes when he was just seven.

His mum Rhondda says Jeff tagged along when his sister was learning hip-hop.

"At first I thought it was it was just a whole heap of dudes throwing themselves on the ground trying to make themselves look good," Rhondda said.

"But he really took to it and loved it and over the years has just shown his dedication."

As a 15-year-old, Jeff was competing against much older, more experienced dancers and winning. He claimed his first Australian Youth Championship in 2019 and has since won titles all over the world, including in China, Taiwan, Singapore, Slovenia, Slovakia, Holland and the US.

In 2022, he was ranked ninth in the world and finished inside the top 16 at the world under-18 championships.

In 2023, he became the first breaker to be awarded a Sport Australia Hall of Fame scholarship.

Jeff’s gruelling training regime, which includes strength training and relentlessly practising dance routines, ramped up as he reached the Paris Olympics.

Making his Olympic debut alongside his sport, Jeff was drawn into a tough group that featured 2022 world champion Phil Wizard (Canada), 2023 European Games gold medallist Dany Dann (France) and Kuzya (Ukraine).

As the youngest breaking competitor, the 16-year-old had the crowd heavily involved in his match against Kuzya but unfortunately it wasn't enough to progress to the knockout stages.

Despite this, Jeff enjoyed the experience.

"I was having a lot of fun especially towards the end," he said. 

"I did feel a little frustrated at times, but that's because I think going against all these high level athletes. 

"It's not like just some random person from Australia that's not that good. These are b-boys that have been in the game longer than I've been in the game.

"So a lot of these b-boys are people I look up to and I admire, so to go against them is just a whole new level of respect and experience."