VAGABONDS ARE CROWNED BRAUN BOTY CHAMPIONS!

Vagabonds are the new Braun Battle of the Year champions after an epic battle against the USA's Battle Born. The French crew sealed their victory in front of an ecstatic home crowd.
But in a major upset for the Korean crews, neither last year's winners and hot favorites Jinjo Crew nor Maximum Crew made the semi finals. For Jinjo Crew, it will be especially disappointing after a crowd-pleasing performance that many tipped would see them through to the battles. It's the first time a Korean crew has not made the final since 2001.
But it was the opposite story for America's Battle Born whose 2nd place ended ten years of failing to qualify for the battle stages. "We are euphoric," crew member Jasoul said.
But the night belonged to French crew Vagabonds, who won both best show and the Battle of the Year.
"This is for us a great comeback after winning in 2006," they said. "All eyes were on us but we worked so hard for this all year. We won last month in the UK and it's so exciting to win the title again."
The victory was all the more sweet for the French crew who took the crown in front of a frenzied home crowd whose cheers made it clear they were always the hot favorites.
Vagabonds were named winners late on Saturday night after a virtuoso display of b-boy action, choreographed flips, acrobatics and provocative moves that impressed the judges Poe One (Puerto Rico), Movie One (Spain), Lilou (France), Crazy (Switzerland) and Taisuke (Japan).
Poe One said: "They had energy, control and precision. They seemed relaxed and kept their smiles. A lot of crews feel the pressure and pull out all the guns and it doesn't work. But Vagabonds looked at ease."
In the first round Vagabonds put on a perfectly choreographed six minute routine. They then duked it out against TPEC (Taiwan) in the semis before securing victory in the 20 minute Braun Battle of the Year final.
Organizer Thomas Hergenröther said: “We’re the biggest b-boy event in the world with b-boys from 19 countries taking part. It was an amazing night. The crews practiced hard to win a spot in the final and there were some great battles. My congratulations to Vagabonds who are now officially the best crew in the world."
The night was hosted by MCs Maleek and Nasty from France and Spax (GER) and Trix (GBR) while DJs Lean Rock (USA) and MAR (JAP) on the decks heated up the vibes with their funky beats.