Breaking emerged as a new category at this year's Paris Olympics 2024, with the intention of its inclusion being to engage and “connect with the young generation”, according to the International Olympic Committee's President Thomas Bach.
Though the sport isn't set to be on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics program, it's safe to say that this effort has successfully engaged TikTok, with the category making for several major viral moments, including the introduction of the internet to Australian breakdancer Raygun.
Raygun, AKA Rachael Gunn, caught people's attention at this year's Olympics for her alternative dance moves that included everything from the sprinkler to perhaps her most divisive move – the kangaroo hop.
But who is Raygun and how did she come to compete? Here's everything to know about the Australian breakdancer who has achieved icon status despite scoring 0 at the Games.
Who is Raygun?
Best known by her stage name Raygun, 36-year-old Rachael Gunn competed at this year's Olympics in breaking on behalf of Australia.
While her abstract style of breaking divided opinion online, there's a lot more to Gunn's story.
Born in 1987, when she's not dancing Raygun is an academic whose research centres on the origin of breaking culture.
With a prior background in jazz and ballroom dancing, Raygun first took up breakdancing in her twenties through the 2010s before taking time to focus on her PhD in cultural studies. However, Raygun continued breaking over this time with the support of her fellow breakdancer husband.
Though breaking won't appear at the 2028 Games, Raygun is hopeful that the category will return when her country is set to host the 2032 Olympics.
Gunn qualified to compete in the 2024 Olympics at the WDSF Oceania Breaking Championships, with her deeper knowledge of the roots of breaking no doubt helping her along the way.
Here's the dance that qualified Raygun for the Olympics:
TikTok content
Did Raygun win at the 2024 Paris Olympics?
Sadly for Raygun, she lost all of her three battles against Lithuania, France and USA, concluding her Olympics journey with a score of 18-0.
Ultimately, Japan's B-Girl Ami Yuasa claimed the gold medal.
However, her performances in these rounds quickly garnered attention on the internet, with endless memes being created and many bringing into question everything from her qualification to compete to her outfit choice.
You can see snippets from her performance at the 2024 Olympics here:
TikTok content
And some of the reactions on X:
X content
X content
X content
However, MGbility (Martin Gilian), the top judge of the Olympic breaking competition has expressed support for Raygun, explaining “Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table... and this is exactly what Raygun was doing.”
He added that Raygun's score was indicative of the "competitive judging system" used by the sport rather than evidence that "she did really bad".
The judge praised Raygun for her innovative approach to the competition, saying “She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo.”
Spoiler: they are in fact, not worth their weight in gold.
What has Raygun said about her performance?
On her performance, Raygun said: “I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get in a lifetime to do that on an international stage?”
She added, "I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way."
Likewise, the breakdancer was criticised for her choice of an Australian tracksuit featuring a green and gold design instead of the more streetwear-led outfits worn by her competitors, with her taking to Instagram to say “Looking forward to the same level of scrutiny on what the bboys wear tomorrow.”
Despite being met with a mixed reception online, Raygun has no shortage of support from Australians, with the country's leader saying: "The Olympics is about people participating in sport... and Raygun had a crack, good on her."
Australian Olympian cyclist Anna Meares added, “I think that what has occurred on social media with trolls and keyboard warriors... has been really disappointing. I absolutely love her courage. I love her character.”
Regardless of what you make of her dancing, Raygun has clearly captured the attention of the world – and we dare say that this won't be the last we see of her.
From Simone Biles to Nada Hafez.
