Karam Singh
Study Type: Higher Education
Study Location: Broomfield Hall
Subject Studied: Sport
Former Broomfield student and breaking champion in training for 2024 Olympics
With breaking officially confirmed as an Olympic sport, exciting times lie ahead for breaking world champion and former Derby College student Karam Singh.
Karam, who took level 3 and a foundation degree in sports coaching at Broomfield, hopes to reach the 2024 Olympics in Paris and bring home a medal.
Now 22, he has been breaking – a competitive form of breakdancing – since he was seven and is currently ranked fourth in the world and number one in the UK.
As well as continuing to practise hard, Karam has also been busy studying – recently graduating from Derby University with a 2:1 in Sports Coaching and Development.
Keen on many sports, he always wanted to train as a sports teacher or coach as a back-up to his breaking career.
He said: “A 2:1 is alright but it’s a shame that I was only few marks off getting a First. It’s been hard studying during lockdown and I didn’t know what to expect at university.
We’re a small, close group on the foundation course though and we’ve helped each other get through our degree.”
Karam, who has travelled all over the world and met sporting heroes Usain Bolt and Marcus Rashford through his breaking, believes Broomfield helped take him to the next level.
He added: “I always say Derby College was such a big thing for me. I gained a lot more from going there than I would have done going anywhere else.
Broomfield is where I learnt about my body and that’s where the big transformation came. I learnt how to calorie count, manage fitness levels and how to train elite athletes.
I’ve managed to apply it to myself and it’s helped me a lot. Derby College helped me to go from amateur to ‘professional’.”
When he’s not doing a daily workout or practising his dancing – which he does four to five times a week – Karam makes paid-for Tik Tok videos featuring fun dances and breaking tutorials.
He added: “Being accepted as an Olympic sport will give breaking wider recognition and, for the Olympics, it should attract young people who don’t usually follow traditional sports.”
I always say Derby College was such a big thing for me. I gained a lot more from going there than I would have done going anywhere else. Broomfield is where I learnt about my body and that’s where the big transformation came. I learnt how to calorie count, manage fitness levels and how to train elite athletes. I’ve managed to apply it to myself and it’s helped me a lot. Derby College helped me to go from amateur to ‘professional’.