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- Australian breakdancer Raygun, who was trashed at the Paris Olympics, just got ranked world No. 1. Here’s why. (newsbreak.com)
Rachael “Raygun” Gunn, renowned in the breakdancing realm, has risen to the top as the world’s No.1 B-girl according to the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) rankings, despite her controversial performance at the Paris Olympics.
Known for her performances in Paris where she did not score any points and faced widespread criticism and viral mockery, Gunn’s No.1 ranking has taken many by surprise. In response, the WDSF issued a statement clarifying their ranking system, which does not consider Olympic or qualifying round scores, and noted that no ranking events are held in the seven months leading up to the Olympics to allow athletes to focus on the games. This led to a unique situation where most athletes had rankings based on a single competition, with Gunn earning her top spot largely due to her 1,000 point win at the Oceania Continental Championships in Sydney last October.
The WDSF clarified that in the event of ties, the competition’s status is considered. Although the ranking process has drawn criticism from within the breakdancing community for not accurately reflecting the sport’s culture, figures like Zack Slusser, Vice President of Breaking for Gold USA, argue that the WDSF’s lack of events results in inaccurate rankings.
Rachael Gunn, a 37-year-old lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney researching the cultural politics of breakdancing, has been AusBreaking’s top-ranked B-girl in 2020 and 2021, competing internationally in Paris, Seoul, and Leuven, Belgium. Despite the backlash over her Olympics performance, she defended her style as artistic and creative in an interview with The Guardian and expressed her dismay over the online criticism in an Instagram reel.
Representatives for Gunn were unavailable for immediate comment. For further details, read the original article on Business Insider.