Australian Raygun during her Olympic appearance in Paris
Image: Keystone
The Australian (back) lost all her battles (here against American Logan Edra) and didn't score a single point with the judges
Image: Keystone
Australian Raygun during her Olympic appearance in Paris
Image: Keystone
The Australian (back) lost all her battles (here against American Logan Edra) and didn't score a single point with the judges
Image: Keystone
The 37-year-old Australian breaker "Raygun" - ridiculed at the Summer Games in Paris and eliminated without a point - is the new world number 1 in breaking.
11.09.2024, 09:23
11.09.2024, 15:42
SDA
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- Rachael Louise Gunn, stage name Raygun, competed in breakdancing in Paris and was eliminated after the preliminary round without scoring a single point.
- Her performance earned her nothing but scorn and ridicule.
- Now the Australian leads the newly published world rankings in breaking.
- According to the World Dance Association, the ranking is based on the athlete's four best performances in the last twelve months.
Rachael Louise Gunn, stage name Raygun, competed in breakdancing in Paris and was eliminated after the preliminary round without scoring a single point. Her performance on the "Place de la Concorde" was ridiculed by the media, mocked on social media and has since been parodied on talk shows.
Gunn commented on her kangaroo impersonation performance on Instagram during the Summer Games after the hype: "I really appreciate the encouragement and am glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That's what I was hoping for. But I didn't realize it would also open the door to so much hate, which is pretty devastating to be honest."
"Devastating"
The next chapter is now provided by the World Dance Federation, which was awarded the contract by the IOC as the umbrella organization for breaking, although the Women's Cheerleading Federation and the Gymnastics Federation were also interested in sponsoring breakdancing. The World Dance Federation primarily represents the interests of (non-Olympic) standard and Latin dancers. Raygun" tops the newly published world rankings of the World Dance Association in "Breaking".
According to the World Dance Association, the ranking is based on the athlete's four best performances in the last twelve months. As only a few events took place between December 2023 and the Olympic Games, many athletes only have one result in the ranking. "Raygun" won the Oceania Championships during this period, which earned her 1000 points plus qualification for Paris.
Misunderstood
According to the federation, it is already clear that "Raygun" will lose the lead in the world rankings again after the next events. Last week, Rachael Gunn spoke on Australian television about her Olympic experience. She apologized for provoking hostile reactions against the breakdancing community. Among other things, she also said that she had expected that "people would not understand my style and what I do".
Breakdancing is no longer part of the Olympic program in Los Angeles in 2028. In Paris, it was one of the five sports that the organizers were free to choose. The Los Angeles OC opted for five other sports: baseball/softball, cricket, flag football, lacrosse and - of interest to Switzerland at the moment - squash.
