Russia’s Sergey Chernyshev, a.k.a. Bumblebee, became the first men’s Youth Olympic Games Breaking Champion in history in 2018. He also won a bronze medal in the mixed-gender 2vs2 event with Austria’s dancer Ella. He is our Athlete of October 2020!
Bumblebee was enrolled in Artistic Gymnastics from the age of 4, but despite showing promise in the sport, he unexpectedly quit when he was 8. It was then that Breaking came into his life. “I was waiting for this,” said his father, a Breaking teacher since the 1990’s and also called Sergey Chernyshev. “I was waiting for the moment when he would realise that Breaking appeals more to him.” Chernyshev taught his son all the moves he knew and even helped him to pick out his b-boy name. Bumblebee initially wanted to call himself ‘Optimus Prime’ after a character in the Transformers, but his father deemed the name too mature and suggested ‘Bumblebee’ - the name of a friendly robot from the same franchise - instead.
In 2020 the now 20-year-old Bumblebee has concentrated on developing his Breaking style. “I have a fundamentally changing approach towards Breaking right now. And I think it's going to be even cooler soon, I just need some time,” he said in October in an interview on the Olympic Channel.
Talking about the lockdown in 2020, Chernyshev said: “I think everyone needed a big pause. All events stopped... I mean all the live events, because there were a lot of online ones. I think it was for everyone's benefit. If I speak about myself, I was constantly on the move. But you don't develop yourself when you are going places all the time, you just show the material that you already have. Sometimes you need to stop, to realise that you have the time to rethink something and to sit in the workshop and create something there. That's actually why I have a change of approach now. I just had the time.”
Breaking will make its full Olympic debut in the Olympic Games in Paris 2024. Before that, Breaking appears for the first time at The World Games in 2022!
As The World Games Athlete of October 2020, Sergey Chernyshev, Bumblebee, will receive The World Games Athlete of the Month diploma as well as a branded gift from the Official Sponsor of Athlete of the Month, Protective Life.
ABOUT PROTECTIVE
Protective Life Corporation provides financial services through the production, distribution and administration of insurance and investment products throughout the U.S. The company traces its roots to the corporation’s flagship company, Protective Life Insurance Company – founded in 1907. Throughout its more than 110-year history, Protective’s growth and success can be largely attributed to its ongoing commitment to serving people and doing the right thing – for its employees, distributors, and most importantly, its customers. The company’s home office is located in Birmingham, Alabama, and its 3,000 employees are located in offices across the United States. As of December 31 2018, the Company had assets of approximately $90 billion. Protective Life Corporation is a wholly owned subsidiary of Dai-ichi Life Holdings, Inc. (TSE:8750). For more information about Protective, please visit www.Protective.com.
The World Games is a multi-sport event staged every four years by the International World Games Association under the patronage of the International Olympic Committee. The 11th edition of The World Games will be held in Birmingham, Alabama, USA, 7-17 July 2022. 3,600 athletes from over 30 sports and 100 countries will take part in The World Games.
