Aussie breaker Rachael Gunn, known as B-girl Raygun, took the internet by storm after her brief but memorable time on stage at the Paris 2024 Olympics. In head-to-head battles against b-girls from the USA, France, and Lithuania, she pulled out some unique moves like kangaroo hopping and swimming on the ground.
Some netizens were less than impressed, posting messages like “There’s 27.7 million Australians in the world and that’s who they send to the Olympics for this inaugural event??? C’mon now!” Others expressed doubt about breaking’s inclusion in the Olympics.
While the memes are admittedly funny, there are two misconceptions about breaking and B-girl Raygun that are important to clear up.
Misconception No.1: “This is what Olympic breaking looks like”
The beauty of breaking lies in its freedom of self expression. Among all the Olympic sports, breaking has perhaps the most opportunity for creativity. At the same time, there is a sky high ceiling for physical and technical ability. Look at the performances of the medal winners Ami, Nicka, and 671—you’ll see more gravity-defying, dynamic sequences than you can throw a shoe at.
On the other hand, there’s Raygun’s approach. She herself told reporters, “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 that in a lifetime to do that on an international stage.”
She came into the competition with a goal of making her own mark, and in a sense, she accomplished that.
Misconception #2: “Raygun should not have qualified for the Olympics”
In the IOC’s own words, “the Olympic Games are the world’s most powerful symbol of unity in all our diversity.” The Olympics include diverse participants from almost every part of the world, which naturally leads to situations where certain athletes are outclassed by others. No country excels in every single sport, and in breaking’s case, Australia is simply not as competitive.
That doesn’t take anything away from the time and effort that it took Raygun to get to the Olympics. She secured a spot by winning the 2023 Oceania Breaking Championship, and she represented Australia at the 2021 and 2022 World Championships. Her style wasn’t enough to pass the group stage in Paris, but she is undoubtedly a qualified representative for her region. The 36-year-old has been breaking since her 20’s and is known as Dr. Gunn when she’s at her day job: lecturing on dance and gender politics at Macquarie University.
At the end of the day, it’s all about positivity:
“It was amazing. Such an amazing experience,” Gunn told Yahoo Sports after the event. “What a stage, what an arena, what a crowd. Music was great. Like, oh, so, so grateful for the opportunity.”
Breaking will take the Paris Olympics stage again on August 10 with the B-Boy (Men’s) event.
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