Australian Olympic breakdancer “Raygun” has been ridiculed, written off and now crowned No. 1 in the world, the sport’s governing body confirmed yesterday.
Rachael “Raygun” Gunn became something of a global laughing stock after her kangaroo-inspired routine failed to impress the judges at the Paris Olympics, where the sport of breaking made its debut.
The 37-year-old university lecturer from Sydney failed to score any points at the Olympics in routines that included a “kangaroo” dance.
Photo: AFP
Her moves were parodied on late-night talk shows, her unfashionable tracksuit was lampooned online and breaking aficionados around the world questioned how she had made the team.
However, Raygun got her revenge and the last laugh when the World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) named her the No. 1 female breakdancer in the world.
The rankings were based on the athlete’s four top performances within the past 12 months, the federation said.
However, with few ranking events held between December last year and the Olympics, “many athletes have only one competition result contributing to their ranking,” the WDSF said in a statement.
Gunn won the Oceania Continental Championship in that period, earning her 1,000 ranking points. Japanese B-girl Riko’s win at the Gold World Series in Hong Kong in December last year saw her also awarded 1,000 points, but the WDSF said Raygun’s event carried more weight, so awarded her the top ranking.
Raygun’s reign at the top could be short-lived, as the rankings would change after the 12-month points expire and the next WDSF Breaking for Gold World Series is held in Shanghai next month, the federation said.
Many within the breaking community have criticized the rankings for not giving a clear picture of breaking as a sport and as a culture.
“Speaking of the WDSF, they actually don’t have any real merit with the breakers or the breaking community,” Breaking for Gold USA vice president Zack Slusser said. “And they also haven’t been able to organize events by their measure that would contribute to creating an accurate world ranking.”
Breakers only performed in events organized by the WDSF to get enough points to qualify for the Paris Olympics, Slusser said.
However, they “had no incentive, no desire to even continue participating with the WDSF after that,” he said. “Because they’re not cultural events. They are not enjoyable.”
In contrast, international breaking competitions such as the Red Bull BC One championship “are like festivals that are geared to the breakers. It’s about the vibe, it’s about the community,” he said.
Additional reporting by AP
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