I was pretty surprised when I woke up on Sunday morning and saw highlights of my former Macquarie University lecturer breakdancing at the Olympics. First, I was happy for Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn. How cool is it that a lecturer from my alum is up there breaking it down, show-stopping, and freezing? However, that lasted for about five minutes before I realised this wasn’t a dream. No, this is the Olympic Games, and if all reports are true, breakdancing has made its first and last appearance.
Breaking is not part of the program for the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, which means the 36-year-old will not have a chance at redemption (or to compete for the gold) until Australia hosts the Brisbane Olympics in 2032. Still, there’s a very slim chance of that happening after the world’s reaction to this year’s efforts.
Sergey Nifontov, general secretary of the World DanceSport Federation, says Raygun’s display has not hindered the sport’s chances: “We believe that this has nothing to do with our chances for Brisbane 2032.” However, commentators online have not been so kind, calling the performance one of the worst of the Paris Olympics.
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How Did Raygun Even Qualify for the Olympic Games?
Regardless of your personal opinion of her dancing skills, the simple fact is that the Australian breakdancer deserved to be there. “B-girl Raygun” qualified for the Olympics through one of the three qualification events outlined for Australians by the World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) back in April, 2022:
- WDSF World Championships in Belgium 2023: The winner would qualify for Paris.
Raygun was the first-ranked women breaker in 2021 and second-ranked breaker in 2022 and 2023, so she was selected to compete alongside her teammate Molly Chapman. Raygun finished 64th, while her teammate Molly Chapman finished 79th out of 80 contestants. - WDSF Oceania Championships in Sydney 2023: Local qualify contest, open to the public.
Regardless of Australian rankings, anyone eligible to compete at the Olympic games could enter this contest. There were 37 male and 15 female entrants. Contestants were judged by a 10-judge panel that included judges from other countries such as Japan and Korea. Raygun’s coach and husband was not listed on the judging panel. Through the two-day competition, Raygun defeated every other breakdancer and qualified for the Olympic games. - Olympic Qualifier Series in Shanghai and Budapest 2024: Three Australian women competed, but none qualified. Raygun had already qualified.
The Australian Breaking Association ranked B-girl Raygun as the second-best breakdancer in the country, behind first-placed B-girl Fontz in the 2023 Open B-girl rankings. Meanwhile, Raygun’s ‘Vanguards of Style’ teammate B-girl Hannah is ranked 1st place for 2024.
What Did the Olympic Judge Think of Raygun?
Like us, you’re probably sceptical of the Olympic judging process. Well, the head judge of the Olympic breaking competition jumped to Rachael Gunn’s side after criticism mounted online over the weekend and said that her performance wasn’t really that bad.
“Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region,” said head judge Martin ‘MGbility’ Gilian at a press conference. “This is exactly what Raygun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which, in this case, for example, was a kangaroo.”
“We have five criteria in the competitive judging system and just her level was maybe not as high as the other competitors,” MGbility said. “But again, that doesn’t mean that she did really bad. She did her best. She won the Oceania qualifier. … Unfortunately for her, the other B-girls were better.”
“We offered (the) support of our safeguarding officer. We are aware about what has happened, especially on social media, and definitely we should put the safety of the athlete, in this case, mental safety in first place,” he said. “She has us as a federation supporting her.”
I tend to agree with this summation. Before even watching Raygun’s performance, I flicked on the gold medal match between Japan’s B-girl Ami and Lithuania’s B-girl Nicka. It was a classic O.G. vs. new kid on the block type of battle, but B-girl Ami came out on top and secured the gold.
While breakdancing’s Olympic fate seems to have already been decided, it might have been a different story if we had seen the quality displayed in the gold and bronze medal matches throughout the competition. Unfortunately, Australia has a long way to go in this regard, and we should probably stick to swimming and cycling.
B-girl Raygun has become a national icon overnight. However, I can tell you from personal experience that she’s a better university lecturer than a breakdancer.
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