[imagesource:instagram/raygun_aus]

The 2024 Paris Olympics was the first to feature an official breakdancing competition alongside traditional events like gymnastics, track and field, and volleyball.

And although a star was not born in Australia, a viral meme and a household name certainly was.

Aussie breaker Rachael Gunn, known as B-girl Raygun, took the internet by storm after her brief but erm, memorable time on the Olympics stage. The 36-year-old cultural studies professor pulled out some unique moves like kangaroo hopping and swimming on the ground to compete against other b-girls from the USA, France, and Lithuania.

After practising for 16 years and competing in various breakdancing world championships, she managed to qualify for the Paris Olympics to represent Australia.

“My speciality is style and creativity, not dynamics or power moves like many other dancers,” she told NBC before the event. “I’ve ticked most of these boxes because it’s my speciality. I don’t know if it’s going to be valued as much as some of the other criteria, but I hope people are still wowed by what I bring since it’s something different.”

People were certainly wowed, though probably not in the way she had intended. Cue the litany of online laughs and loathing:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Mandella Eskia 🇧🇧 (@blackzeusx)

What my nephew does after telling all of us to “watch this” pic.twitter.com/366LjIRl4j

— Liz Charboneau (@lizchar) August 9, 2024

SARUMAN: I gave you the chance of aiding me willingly, but you have elected the way of pain!

GANDALF:pic.twitter.com/g8Yidpw6Ty

— JRR Jokien (@joshcarlosjosh) August 9, 2024

In fifteen years there will be a movie about how this was the real breakdancers mom and how she had to step in to take her daughter’s place after the bullies of a rival breakdancing gym injured her kid in a vicious, unsanctioned dance off. It will be called Heart Breaker.

— Jeremy Crawford (@crawfather) August 9, 2024

Breakdancing at the Olympics.

I always like to give the new sports a chance, so can confirm it’s an ABOMINATION. The lowest bar ever to be cleared for an Olympic medal.

This is like something you’d see outside Irish pubs at closing time. #Paris2024 #BreakingForGold pic.twitter.com/6CfvXR9b9s

— Barry Kenny 🇺🇦🇪🇺🇬🇪🇮🇪 ї (@barrykenny) August 9, 2024

Many others related well with Raygun, saying they would also perform breakdancing at the Olympics like her if they could (a really nice way of saying she is hella average) while others reckon she should have got gold for being so funny and weird; “I could live all my life and never come up with anything as funny as Raygun, the 36-year-old Australian Olympic breakdancer,” said Mariah.

Katie said she has “Insane respect” for Raygun as she “got an all-expenses paid trip to Paris plus all the free gear and is forever an Olympian. She cooked hard here I’m afraid”.

Mixed feelings about Olympic breaking thus far but I’m fascinated by Raygun, the 36-year-old Australian college professor who does research on “dance, gender politics, and the dynamics between theoretical and practical methodologies.” pic.twitter.com/0wgHLxfcc9

— Dan Gartland (@Dan_Gartland) August 9, 2024

I’d like to personally thank Raygun for making millions of people worldwide think “huh, maybe I can make the Olympics too” pic.twitter.com/p5QlUbkL2w

— Bradford Pearson (@BradfordPearson) August 9, 2024

Bringing breakdancing to the Olympics was part of an effort to broaden its appeal and pull in younger, more diverse audiences. But hoards of 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, Forbes. wants to clear up the misconceptions that “This Is What Olympic Breaking Looks Like”, and that “Raygun Should Not Have Qualified For The Olympics”.

Breaking offers an unmatched canvas for self-expression and among Olympic sports, breaking stands out for its boundless potential for creativity. At the same time, it demands exceptional physical and technical prowess. Just watch the medal-winning performances of Ami, Nicka, and 671, where you’ll witness sequences so dynamic and gravity-defying that they push the limits of what’s possible.

Say what y’all want about shawty Nicka in the durag, but sis putting it all on the floor 🚁#BreakingForGold #CHNvsLTU #Olympics #OlympicGames #Paris2024 #Nicka 🇱🇹 pic.twitter.com/k9AmzH3WfE

— Yngdggrdckxo💎🍉 (@yngdggrdckxo) August 9, 2024

Raygun knew exactly how she chalked up compared to these winners, telling 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 the goal of making her own mark, and in a sense, she accomplished that.

Also in her defence, since the Olympics include diverse participants from almost every part of the world, there are bound to be some participants who are seen as outcasts by others. While Australia is simply not as competitive in breakdancing as other sports, that doesn’t take away from the time and effort it took Raygun to get to the Olympics.

Her style wasn’t enough to pass the group stage in Paris, but she is undoubtedly a qualified representative for her region; kangaroo and crocodile moves very much included.

[source:people&forbes]