Raygun goes from Olympics meme to No. 1 ranked breakdancer in the world
09/10/2024 11:42 AM
Raygun has kangaroo-hopped her way to No. 1.
Australian b-girl Rachel Gunn, better known as "Raygun," went viral during the 2024 Paris Olympics for her unique dance moves, while simultaneously mystifying the entire world as to how she made it all the way to the games. Now there's a new twist to her story.
On Thursday the governing body of international breaking, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) made the stunning announcement that Raygun was the No. 1 ranked women's breaker in the world. This rank was earned despite the fact that none of the women who medaled in breaking during the Paris games made the top-10 of the rankings.
The curious ranking comes as a part of the WDSF's system. It works off a point system spanning the last 12 months, in which the four best results make up the score. So, with Raygun willing the 2023 Oceania Championship she earned a massive 1,000 points towards her world rank.
It gets even more bizarre, though. Not only did this one result massively tilt the world rankings, but WDSF said that neither Olympic qualifying events nor the actual Paris games counted towards the world rankings, saying it was organized this way to ensure there was no distraction for breakers.
"In alignment with the Olympic Qualification System, ranking events were intentionally not held between 31 December 2023 and the Olympic Games Paris 2024. This strategic scheduling allowed athletes to focus solely on the last part of their Olympic qualification without the added pressure of additional ranking events."
On paper this might sounds fine, but when you think a little harder, it's exceptionally weird. Essentially WDSF is saying that athletes could have been so preoccupied with international breakdancing rankings that it might throw off their preparation for THE OLYMPIC GAMES. There's quite literally no reason not to include Olympic results towards the standings.
None of this is Raygun's fault. Recently she's come under fire in the wake of the last-place Olympic finish. The Australian dancer was the subject of claims she was unfairly selected to represent Australia, while others were happy to just make her a meme. However, the head breaking judge at the Paris games remains resolute in defending Raygun.
"It's all about originality and it's all about bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region," said Martin Gilian, the chief breaking judge at the Olympics, also known as MGbility.
While the ranking is stunning, Raygun earned it fair and square under the very bizarre rules behind world rank. All hail our dance queen.
