Meet Olympic Breakdancer Victor Montalvo Who Learned the Sport from His Dad: ‘I Was So Obsessed’ (Exclusive)

Montalvo recalls trying to "imitate the dancers" when his father would put "Beat Street" on as a child

Meet Olympic breakdancer Victor Montalvo, who will be among the first-ever athletes to represent the sport in the 2024 Games this summer.

Breaking, or breakdancing, is the newest event in the Olympics, and Montalvo, 29, tells PEOPLE he's "super excited" to be competing in Paris.

"I was recently in Paris, and I was on the boat going through the river, and I saw the breaking stage," he recalls. "I was like, 'Wow, I'm going to be there next year. This is awesome.'" 

Montalvo says he was first introduced to the sport when he was in elementary school. "My dad exposed me to breaking at the age of 6. He would put Beat Street on and I would imitate the dancers and my dad would show me a couple of moves," says the athlete.

At the time, Montalvo says he "wasn't too serious" about breaking, although it was a great bonding tool for him and his father. Then, his cousin showed interest in breaking when Montalvo was 10 years old, and Montalvo says he began taking it more seriously.

"I remember the feeling of trying to learn the windmill, and I couldn't get it, but I was so obsessed," he shares. "I'm like, 'I have to get this move. I just love this. I love the feeling it gives me.' "

Eventually, he realized, "Man, this is what I'm going to do for life," says Montalvo.

Once he became more serious about breaking, Montalvo says his dad "made sure that he provided me with a studio" and "made sure I stayed focused" on training. "Basically, dance was my life, and I was lucky that I didn't really have to make many sacrifices," he shares.

Related: Breakdancing Will Now Be an Event at Olympic Games Starting in 2024

Other than a relatively smooth journey from "obsessed" kid to Olympian, Montalvo recalls a few relatives discouraging him from pursuing his dream. "Some of my family members didn't support me traveling internationally and breaking because it wasn't like a real career," he says.

"They basically said, 'Just go to school, finish college and then get your degree,' " Montalvo shares. "But my dad was like, 'No, if this makes him happy, let him do this.' And once I started making money and I started winning, the rest of my family was like, 'Okay, this is fine.' "

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And now that he's officially qualified for the 2024 Games and punched his ticket to Paris, the Kissimmee, Fl. native says his father is "so proud" of him.

"My dad is so proud. He's just back home knowing that his son made the Olympics and knowing my journey; he's been there since the beginning, and my mom also. So they're just so super proud of what I've done."

Related: Paris! Milan! L.A.! All the Future Olympic Host Cities Announced So Far

Montalvo hopes that his success will inspire other young breakdancers to give their all to the sport. "If you have a lot of passion for whatever you're doing, just keep on doing it a hundred percent. Do it because you love it. It is not about the money," says Montalvo.

"I did not expect that I was getting any of this. This is just extra. This stuff is just extra. I just love breaking so much and it was basically my life. I did it all day, every day, and I dug deep into the roots of it and really learned about the dance and basically just kept it going, persevering."

Montalvo advises, "You're going to lose a lot in breaking, and you lose more than you win," but the key to success for him is "making sure that you learn from your losses and just keep on persevering," he says. "That's it."

To learn more about all the Olympic and Paralympic hopefuls, visit TeamUSA.com. Watch the Paris Olympics and Paralympics this summer on NBC and Peacock.

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