The Australian breakdancer ‘Raygun’, A woman who complained of harassment after a performance at the Paris Olympics that was mocked on social media has been named world number one, the sport’s governing body confirmed on Wednesday.
Her kangaroo-inspired performance was parodied on social media and television shows, as was her Australian-colored outfit.while break dancing fans around the world wondered how she could have been selected to compete in the Olympics.
But 37-year-old Rachael Gunn has gotten her revenge just a month after being eliminated in the qualifying round without scoring a single point: She has been named the world’s best breakdancer by the World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF).
The federation said the ranking is based on the athlete’s four best performances over the past 12 months.
With only a few events organised between December 2023 and the Olympic Games on which to compile this ranking, “many athletes only have one result in a competition valid for qualification,” according to a WSDF statement.
‘Raygun’ won the Oceania championship during that period, earning him 1,000 points on the leaderboard.
Japan’s Riko won the Gold World Series in Hong Kong in December, which also gave her 1,000 points, but the WDSF awarded the top spot to ‘Raygun’, believing that her performance carried more weight.
That first place on the podium could, however, have its days numbered, after the federation confirmed that “the next WDSF Breaking of the Gold World Series will be held in Shanghai in October 2024.”
Last week, Rachael Gunn, a professor at the University of Sydney, apologized on Australian television for having provoked hostile reactions among the breakdancing community.
“I didn’t realize that it would also open the door to so much hate, which, frankly, has been quite devastating,” she said.
The athlete admitted that she did not expect to achieve a high position at the Olympic Games, but that her record showed that she was the best b-girl in Australia.
Source: Ambito
I am an author and journalist who has worked in the entertainment industry for over a decade. I currently work as a news editor at a major news website, and my focus is on covering the latest trends in entertainment. I also write occasional pieces for other outlets, and have authored two books about the entertainment industry.
