- Rachael Gunn — better known as "Raygun" — is an Australian B-girl (break-girl) who competed at the Olympics.
- She lost three battles in the round-robin part of the competition, but her moves went viral online.
Breaking (aka breakdancing) made its debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics — and while she didn't earn a spot on the podium, the Australian breaker known as "Raygun" has received plenty of recognition online.
"Raygun" is Rachael Gunn, a 36-year-old university lecturer in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia. Her research focuses on the "cultural politics of breaking," according to her faculty profile.
Gunn's time on the Olympic stage, however, was short-lived. The B-girl (break-girl) was eliminated during the round-robin stage of the women's competition, losing in a one-on-one battle to the United States' Logistx, France's Syssy, and Lithuania's Nicka.
Raygun didn't earn a point in any of those battles, but as clips of her performance spread online, she got something else — instant meme status.
my dog on the lawn 30 seconds after i've finished bathing him pic.twitter.com/A5aqxIbV3H
— David Mack (@davidmackau) August 9, 2024
Here's what you need to know about Raygun, now that the breaking competition is over.
Raygun is an academic who studies breaking — and she competes internationally
Before Gunn went to the Olympics, she approached the 2024 games from an academic perspective.
With co-author Lucas Marie, Gunn published an article in the June 2023 issue of "Global Hip Hop Studies" titled "The Australian breaking scene and the Olympic Games: the possibilities and politics of sportification." The article examined how institutionalization in the Olympic games would impact the Australian breaking scene.
Alongside her academic career, Gunn is obviously also a competing B-girl. But before she got into breaking, she had experience with other forms of dancing, including ballroom, jazz, hip hop, salsa, and tap, Women's Weekly reported. Her now-husband, Samuel Free, introduced her to breaking in 2008 while they were at university, Gunn told The Sydney Morning Herald. Free is still her coach.
Gunn told Women's Weekly that breaking "hooked" her in 2012, around the same time that she began her PhD program. She began competing more seriously in 2018, and eventually set her sights on the Olympics.
Per her university profile, she was the top-ranked B-girl of the Australian Breaking Association in 2020 and 2021, representing the country at the World Breaking Championships in 2021, 2022, and 2023. She also won the Oceania Breaking Championships in 2023.
"My bag always has two main things: It's like, my knee pads and my laptop," Gunn said on "The Female Athlete Project" podcast. "Because I need my knee pads to break. And then, yeah, just do some emails quickly. Or like, do some revisions on a chapter I submitted, or copy edit this article I did, or moderate those grades."
The athlete also told The Sydney Morning Herald that her preferred clothing choices while performing were "baggy jeans and a baggy T-shirt," falling roughly in line with her chosen Olympic attire.
"I like the heaviness they bring, Gunn said. "Maybe it's my background in hip-hop, but having weight closer to the ground works for me, gets me in the right headspace."
Raygun's performances at the Olympics sparked both memes and criticism
Raygun took the stage at the Olympics wearing a tracksuit in Australia's green and gold, breaking out moves that included hopping like a kangaroo. Her performances quickly attracted attention online, and memes that, among other opinions, compared her to dancing children.
The fact that RayGun has a Ph.D in breakdancing is its own commentary on academia vs real world expertise. https://t.co/pQcL8HzAW9
— BioTechSnack (@SnackBioTech) August 9, 2024
me forcing my mom to watch the dance i made up in the pool pic.twitter.com/zbtwEFjpTG
— kenzi (@kenzianidiot) August 9, 2024
Judges made the right call here because what was that move lol #Olympics #Breakdancing pic.twitter.com/sXAs9AdHjX
— MⓞNK BLOODY Ps (@MonkeyBlood) August 9, 2024
But as the Associated Press reported, some criticized Raygun's performance given that it was representing breaking — a sport that will not return to the 2028 games in Los Angeles — on the world stage.
There's also a racial element to breaking: As Business Insider previously reported, the art form came from Black and brown communities in the Bronx in the 1970s. Malik Dixon, who is African-American and lives in Australia, told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation that Gunn's performance came off as "somebody who was toying with the culture" during a significant moment for the sport.
(Raygun's full performances — and the rest of the 2024 Olympic events — are available to replay on Peacock.)
Both Raygun and breaking judges have defended her performance
Australian chef de mission Anna Meares (the person in charge of the national team) responded to criticism of Gunn online during a Saturday press conference the day after Gunn's competition.
"I love Rachael, and I think that what has occurred on social media with trolls and keyboard warriors, and taking those comments and giving them airtime, has been really disappointing," Meares said, per ESPN.
"Raygun is an absolutely loved member of this Olympic team. She has represented the Olympic team, the Olympic spirit with great enthusiasm. And I absolutely love her courage," Meares continued. "I love her character, and I feel very disappointed for her, that she has come under the attack that she has."
During a press conference on Sunday, breaking head judge Martin Gilian defended Gunn's performance, saying that breaking was "all about originality" and representing your roots, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"This is exactly what Raygun was doing," Gilian said. "She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo."
Gunn said during the Saturday press conference that "all of my moves are original," according to ESPN. She told The Guardian in an interview that her "creativity" was her biggest strength.
"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," Gunn told The Guardian. "Because how many chances to get to do that on an international stage. I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way."