It’s not often being dragged to something your sister does would lead you to become an Olympian, but for 16-year-old breaker Jeff ‘J-Attack’ Dunne that is exactly what happened.
It all started when his older sister wanted to do hip-hop lessons in Brisbane and J-Attack found himself as a spectator watching the breakdancing session in the studio next door.
These humble beginnings set him on a path to Australian Olympic history.
“I used to go there and just watch,” Jeff said of the breakdancing lessons.
“It got to the point where I thought some of the moves were just so easy that I started doing it.
“I realised how fun breakdancing was. We then moved to New South Wales, I fell in love with it and since then I haven't stopped.”
Jeff, or ‘J-Attack’ as he goes by on stage, became the first Australian male to qualify for the Olympics in the sport of Breaking when he won the Oceania Breaking Championships in Sydney last year.
It was an event hyped by many as competitors vied to secure their spot in Paris for the sport’s Olympic debut.
But when it came to the pressure, Jeff said it wasn’t something he felt.
“I didn't really feel any pressure.
“There probably was some pressure there, but my mindset is always do my best no matter what and I won't be sad.
“That's for anything I do. As long as you do your best, there's nothing to worry about.
“Nothing to be ashamed about because you put it all out on the floor. There's nothing we could have put out more.”
Jeff will join 15 other b-boys from 12 nations at the Place de la Concorde for the first ever men’s Olympic breaking tournament.
However, Olympic qualification is only the beginning of Jeff’s history-making journey. He enters the Games with his eyes firmly set on bringing home an Olympic medal.
“I really want to make the podium,” he said.
“I’ve trained so hard. I'm going to be the underdog and people really love to see an underdog make it all the way.”
If he is to achieve a historic Olympic medal, he will be doing so with an army of support behind him.
“All my family is coming,” Jeff said.
“My sister, mum, dad, my brother, his wife and his son, my other brother and his wife. My oldest brother lives in Perth and my other brother lives all the way in New York - they’re flying to Paris for it.”
And given his Olympic journey started through a family activity, it seems appropriate it should culminate with family visiting him on his historic moment in Paris.
The b-boys round robin will be held at the Place de la Concorde on 11 August at 12am (AEST).
This article was originally written for The Australian Olympic Team. You can read the published version here
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