Lilou and friends, New York 2009 Ray Demski/Red Bull Photofiles

Sixteen b-boys from 11 countries fought it out in the birthplace of hip-hop, New York City, for the 2009 Red Bull BC One title, with one Frenchman rising above the rest.

Lilou claimed the right to call himself ‘The One’ for a second time in the competiton’s six-year history, at the Hammerstein Ballroom on November 18.

American Cloud was the other finalist in a closely-fought contest, after Lilou had defeated Ukraine’s Kolobok in round one, followed by two more Americans, Thesis and Morris, in the quarter- and semi-finals respectively.

‘Lilou walked his way right up, it was crazy!’ – KRS-One

Cloud is no amateur, having toured with Madonna no less, but after three gruelling rounds of the final face-off, it was Lilou who triumphed in the shadow of the iconic Empire State Building, despite feeling the pressure.

“I was so afraid because when I got on stage, all the crowd were [shouting] ‘U-S-A! U-S-A!’” said the French star, “but that just gave me more power.”

Korean b-boy Wing, the 2008 champion, had looked strong again, but was unable to defend his title, losing in the quarter-finals to California’s Morris.

MC for the event, legend KRS-One, was full of praise for the new champion.

“He walked his way right up, it was crazy!” said ‘The Teacher’.

See more at www.redbullbcone.com!


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