Despite bombing at the 2024 Olympics (and almost breaking the internet in the process), Australian breakdancer B-Girl Raygun is having the last laugh after being named the number one female breakdancer in the world.
Raygun, a 37-year-old academic whose real name is Rachel Gunn, was placed in the top spot of the women’s rankings by the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) – the governing body of breaking and other dancesports.
She didn’t quite finish last at the Olympics (someone else was disqualified) but she failed to score any points across her Olympic battles against competitors from France, Lithuania and the U.S., losing each battle 18-0.
Australia’s Rachael Gunn, known as B-Girl Raygun, competes during the Round Robin Battle at the breaking competition at La Concorde Urban Park at the 2024 Summer Olympics, Friday, Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France.
Abbie Parr / The Associated Press
However, she was catapulted to the top spot in the WDSF rankings thanks to the 1,000 points she scored during her Olympic qualifying event, the WDSF Oceania Championship.
Meanwhile, the three women who medaled in Paris fail to appear in the WDSF’s top 10. Japan’s Ami, Lithuania’s Nicka and China’s 671 earned gold, silver and bronze respectively.
On Tuesday, the WDSF clarified in a statement that its rankings are updated based on each athlete’s top four performances within the past 12 months. Points earned in these competitions remain valid for a year from the event date.
They also confirmed that the Olympic qualifying events in Budapest and Shanghai, as well as the Paris Games, did not contribute to the scores that determined ranking. And they said that several events last year where athletes can usually earn points were not held to allow dancers to prepare for Paris.
B-Girl Raygun of Team Australiacompetes as Syssy of Team France looks on during the B-Girls Round Robin – Group B on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Place de la Concorde on August 9, 2024 in Paris, France.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
“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.
“By the end of the Olympic Games, many of the competition results included in the ranking had expired, leading to the current situation where many athletes have only one competition result contributing to their ranking.”
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To break it down even further, the points from most other events have expired and there’s a lack of points accruing due to the Olympics. Because most of the dancers currently only have points from one event, and Raygun won one of the last non-Olympics events, she has been named to the top spot.
There’s a good chance Raygun won’t top the podium for long, however. The WDSF’s rankings will change next month when some points expire and another breaking event — the Breaking for Gold World Series — is held in October.
B-Girl Raygun of Team Australiacompetes during the B-Girls Round Robin – Group B on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Place de la Concorde on August 9, 2024 in Paris, France.
Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Still, many are up in arms about Raygun’s ranking, after her widely panned Olympics routine that saw her hop around like a kangaroo, contort her body in odd positions on the platform and do backward rolls.
On Aug. 15, following the backlash and ridicule from her Paris performance, Gunn spoke about the world’s “pretty devastating” reaction.
“Hi everyone, Raygun here. I just want to start by thanking all the people who have supported me,” she said in a post on Instagram. “I really appreciate the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That’s what I hoped.”
“I didn’t realize that that would also open the door to so much hate which has frankly been pretty devastating,” Gunn continued. “While, I went out there and I had fun, I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off, preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all truly. I’m honored to have been a part of the Australian Olympic Team and to be part of breaking’s Olympic debut.”
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