Dr Rachael Gunn, better known as Raygun, whose performance at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games breaking event went viral, stirred quite the controversy. While her zero-score routines amused viewers, others pointed to her questionable academic background. As it turns out, Dr Gunn knew exactly what she was doing. Australian breakdancer Rachael – whose b-girl name is Raygun – lost all three round-robin battles 18-0, 18-0, 18-0 against the USA, France, and Lithuania during the sport’s debut on Friday night.
From her ridiculous ground-twitching moves to her Australian Olympic tracksuit, the 36-year-old was both ruthlessly mocked and praised, as a person on X (formerly known as Twitter) wrote: “If this Raygun lady turns out to be a comedian who somehow blagged her way through qualifiers and all the way to the Olympics, and was bad on purpose, it will be one of the greatest bits ever achieved.”
Dr Rachael Gunn, better known as Raygun, saw her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games breaking event go viral
Amid growing criticism, Rachael took to her Instagram page, seemingly pointing to gender bias, as she wrote: “Looking forward to the same level of scrutiny on what the bboys wear tomorrow.”
The Aussie had secured her place as Australia’s b-girl representative after winning last year’s Oceania Breaking Championships, News.com.au reported.
In breakdancing, “B-girl” and “B-boy” are terms used to refer to female and male breakdancers, respectively.
The “B” stands for “break,” which comes from the breakbeats in music that dancers originally performed to.
The terms were popularized in the 1970s when breakdancing (also known as breaking or b-boying/b-girling) emerged as a key element of hip-hop culture.
Both B-boys and B-girls showcase their skills through a variety of moves, including top rock (footwork performed while standing), down rock (moves performed on the floor), power moves (dynamic acrobatic moves), and freezes (holding a pose).
Rachael also previously shared a post from her country’s breaking team, which quoted her saying: “Don’t be afraid to be different. Go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that’s gonna take you.”
After her performance, Raygun explained she wanted to leave a creative mark, telling reporters: “All my moves are original.
Raygun’s performance stirred quite the controversy
“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?“
I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.”
“After I’ve recovered, I’ll probably be writing about it,” Dr Gunn added.
Rachael is an interdisciplinary and practice-based researcher interested in the cultural politics of breaking. She holds a PhD in Cultural Studies and a BA in Contemporary Music from Macquarie University.
As per her Macquarie University profile, Dr Gunn’s work draws on cultural theory, dance studies, popular music studies, media, and ethnography.
Moreover, Raygun was the Australian Breaking Association’s top-ranked b-girl in 2020 and 2021, and represented Australia at the World Breaking Championships in Paris, France in 2021, in Seoul, South Korea in 2022, and in Leuven, Belgium in 2023.
Rachael is an interdisciplinary and practice-based researcher interested in the cultural politics of breaking
“This is exactly what Raygun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo.”
Team Japan’s Amy Yuasa won gold, team Lithuania’s Dominika Banevic won silver, and team China’s Liu Qingyi took home the bronze medal.
Nevertheless, Dr Gunn’s academic background sparked controversy, as Hannah Berreli, the editor for On The Woman Q, shared on X: “Turns out Rachael Gunn here has a PhD in cultural studies, with a specialty in the gender politics of movement and breakdance.
