Olympics star who fled Afghanistan makes political statement during Breaking debut

Breaking burst onto the Olympic scene with a vibrant and loud introduction on Friday night, complete with a powerful political message from an Afghan competitor.

The sport, better known as breakdancing, has its roots in the dance battles of 1970s New York City. Now it's taken the global stage, with the Olympic competition kicking off to the beats of Snoop Dogg in front of an enthusiastic crowd at Concorde urban park yesterday.

Amidst the electrifying atmosphere, two DJs and MCs cranked up the tunes while athletes like America's Logistx and Australia's Raygun faced off in intense five-minute dance battles, judged by a panel of nine who crowned the victors among the B-girls (break girls).

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However, it was Manizhan Talash, the first to bow out in the pre-qualification round, who captured everyone's attention. The young dancer, who escaped Kabul three years ago, revealed a blue cape emblazoned with "Free Afghan Women".

Now residing and training in Madrid as part of the Refugee Olympic Team, the 21 year old declared: "If I were in Afghanistan, I wouldn't be alive because the Taliban does not like this sport. But I am here doing it. I am not afraid."

"I want to do something for my people who are in Afghanistan, my girls, my friends. It is very difficult but I want to act, not just speak."

Elsewhere, China's Chen Yiwen took home the gold, while Australia's Maddison Keeney bagged the silver in the women's 3m springboard final. Great Britain's Yasmin Harper and Grace Reid fell short of clinching a medal.

Just a little over two weeks after securing bronze in the synchronised event, Harper put up a strong performance to finish fifth, while Reid had to be content with 10th place. Harper kicked off with a solid start, scoring 63.00 on her first dive and looked set to grab a podium spot in the next two rounds as she maintained her position in fourth place.

However, a slight over-rotation on her fourth dive resulted in a score of 55.50, but she was still within reach of the bronze until China's Chang Yani pulled off an impressive 75.00 to secure third place ahead of the final round of dives.

Harper ended on a high note with a score of 65.10 on her most challenging dive of the event, but her slim hopes of clinching a podium spot were dashed when Yani secured the bronze with a final dive score of 64.50.