Breaking—the sport of breakdancing—made its Olympic debut in Paris and quickly garnered attention due to a now-viral performance by Australian B-girl Rachael “Raygun” Gunn.
On Friday, August 9, Gunn, competing under the name Raygun, didn’t earn a single point, losing 18-0 in each of her battles against three competitors: U.S.’s Logan Edra (Logistx), Lithuania’s Dominika Banevič (Nicka), and France’s Sya Dembélé (Syssy).
Her moves across three round-robin battles included a kangaroo hop, a backward roll, and various contortions with her body while lying or crawling on the floor.
An odd-numbered panel of judges scored each round and battle based on five criteria: Technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality, and originality. Even though the 36-year-old university lecturer received no points in any category, Gunn defended herself by stating, “All of my moves are original.”
“Creativity is really important to me. I go out there, and I show my artistry. Sometimes it speaks to the judges, and sometimes it doesn’t. I do my thing, and it represents art. That is what it is about,” Gunn added during an August 10 press conference, per ESPN.
Aussie break dancer Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn has to be trolling the entire world🤣#Olympics📷 #raygun #Paris2024📷 #breaking #breakdancing #aussie #Australia pic.twitter.com/tiCz6UVCJh
— immutable truth 💎 (@ImmutabullTruth) August 10, 2024
“I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best—their power moves,” explained Gunn, who has a Ph.D. in cultural studies and researches breaking and hip hop culture. “What I bring is creativity.”
Much of the criticism of Raygun’s performance stemmed from her deviation from the athletic twists, spins, and freezes performed by her competitors, as well as from the apparel she wore on the Olympic stage. Instead of executing high-difficulty moves, Gunn opted for slower, more artistic moves and wore a green-and-yellow Australian Olympic tracksuit, paying tribute to her homeland.
Breaking—one of the original four elements of hip-hop, along with DJing, graffiti, and MCing (rapping)—is a dance style that emerged from Black and Latino communities in the Bronx, New York City, in the 1970s. Over the past few decades, the rules of breaking have been established, evolving it into a full-fledged sport that combines the athleticism required for acrobatic moves with the artistry needed to synchronize those moves with the music seamlessly.
Breaking will not be part of the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, but the sport’s federation is pushing for its inclusion in the 2032 Games in Brisbane, Australia.
Gunn, who qualified for the Olympics by winning last year’s Oceania Breaking Championships, has also addressed the criticism, sharing an Instagram post from the Australian breaking team quoting her saying, “Don’t be afraid to be different.”
“Go out there and represent yourself,” Gunn was quoted as saying. “You never know where that’s gonna take you.”