Australia’s Rachael Gunn, known as B-Girl Raygun, went viral for her breaking performanceCredit: AP

The sport of breaking made its debut in the 2024 Paris GamesCredit: AFP

Breaking was the only new sport this summerCredit: Alamy

Australia’s Rachael Gunn went viral for her performanceCredit: AFP
Breaking is an urban dance style that started in America during the 1970s with roots in hip-hop culture.

In the Olympics, two breakers go up against each other in epic one-v-one battles.

They take it in turns to dance and use a combination of moves to music.

But Australian breakdancer “Raygun” – real name Rachael Gunn – went viral for all the wrong reasons.

She faced France’s Syssy (Sya Dembele) and America’s Logistx (Logan Edra) but failed to win a point.

And her performance was ridiculed by confused fans online as she was compared to a toddler rolling around on the floor.

One fan said: “‘I could live all my life and never come up with anything as funny as Raygun, the 36-year-old Australian Olympic breakdancer.”

Another said: “She’s amazing – she got an all exes paid trip to the olympics and a sweet tracksuit for 5 mins of bizarre performance art.”

One shared the video and joked: “My toddler 1 min after she comes to our bed to “sleep”.”

Despite the backlash, Gunn shared a positive message on her Instagram story in the aftermath of her Olympic elimination.

It read: “Don’t be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that’s gonna take you.”

Gunn came into the Games as Australia’s top-ranking breakdancer.

She also works for Sydney’s Macquarie University as a creative arts researcher specialising in “the cultural politics of breakdancing”.

Gunn was the Australian Breaking Association’s top ranked bgirl (‘break-girl’) in 2020 and 2021.

She qualified for the Olympics after winning last year’s Oceania Breaking Championships.

Gunn is a former jazz and ballroom dancer was introduced to breaking by her husband Samuel.

‘I wanted to move differently’

After Olympic elimination, she spoke out to explain her breaking routine following the critical response.

Gunn said: “What I wanted to do was come out here and do something new and different and creative – that’s my strength, my creativity.

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.

“I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.”

Gunn was eliminated for the OlympicsCredit