Breaking finally made its much-anticipated debut at the Paris Olympics on Friday, but the performance by an academic dancer Rachael Gunn, known as 'Raygun', has sparked debate among fans about whether this street art form belongs in the global arena of champions and has raised questioned if breaking should be a part of Olympics.
A video of 36-year-old Rachael Gunn quickly went viral as she clumsily twisted on the dance floor, finishing her already confusing and chaotic routine with her hand on her chin. Although she did not earn a single vote from the judges and losing all her group matches, she stole the show with her peculiar breaking routine.
Show Stealer
Raygun energetically moved across the stage, occasionally standing on her head and rolling on her shoulder, creating one of the most unforgettable, though not victorious, performances of the Summer Games, instantly turning her into an internet sensation.
The video captures her match against France's Syssy (Sya Dembélé) during the second of three qualifying rounds on Friday afternoon, where the Australian ultimately failed to score any points against her three competitors.
Despite this, Gunn is Australia's leading breakdancer and an accomplished researcher in the field, working as a creative arts researcher at Sydney's Macquarie University, focusing on 'the cultural politics of breakdancing.'
As clips of her performance spread online, users shared their opinions on various aspects of Raygun, including her stage name, outfit, and overall performance.
"I could live all my life and never come up with anything as funny as Raygun, the 36-year-old Australian Olympic breakdancer," one user wrote.
"Never watched breaking before but I can already tell Raygun doesn't have a chance in this event," another user said.
"Raygun breaking looks like 5 year old me going up to my mom like 'look what I can do,'" a third user wrote.
Still Unabashed
Despite her performance, many users praised the Australian for her confidence and bravery. However, they did not overlook the fact that the performance did not meet Olympic standards.
"Props to Raygun for having the guts to go out there,' one user suggested. 'But this was the most second hand embarrassment I've ever felt."
"Raygun from Australia is my Olympic hero actually," another added.
The Australian dancer, who began breaking in her mid-20s, discussed her distinctive style in an interview with CNBC before her Olympic appearance.
She represented Australia at the World Breaking Championships in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and clinched victory at last year's Oceania Breaking Championships, which earned her the title of Australia's Olympic bgirl.
"My specialty is style and creativity, not dynamics or power moves like many other dancers," Raygun told the outlet. "I've ticked most of these boxes because it's my specialty. I don't know if it's going to be valued as much as some of the other criteria, but I hope people are still wowed by what I bring since it's something different."
Even though she became an internet meme and received no support from the Olympic judges, Raygun remained undeterred. "Look, I came into the event kind of expecting that I wouldn't get a vote," Gunn told Yahoo Sports after the event.
"It was amazing. Such an amazing experience. What a stage, what an arena, what a crowd. Music was great. Like, oh, so, so grateful for the opportunity."
