Raygun Pushed Breaking Into Dark Ages, Says Aussie Hip-hop Star; Here's How She Made It To Olympics

Rachael Gunn, known by her stage name b-girl Raygun, had a tough time in the women's breaking competition at the Paris Olympics as she crashed out of the opening round after losing all three of her battles. Videos of her performance in Paris are now all over the internet with the breaking world divided.

While many have come out in support of the 36-year-old, a lot of people are disappointed too. Australian hip-hop pioneer Spice told the BBC that Raygun's performance made him "feel like it's just pushed our scene in Australia into the Dark Ages.”

“It made a mockery of the Australian scene and I think that's why a lot of us are hurting,” Spice told the BBC.

Many on the internet have also raised questions about how Raygun made it to the Olympics.

In this piece, we will take a look at how b-girl Raygun made it to the Paris Olympics.

Gunn was introduced to breaking by her husband and coach Samuel Free when she was 20. Even though Gunn had always been a dancer, this new form was tough for her to learn.

“There were times that I would go into the bathroom crying because I was so embarrassed at how terrible I was at this,” she told The Guardian Australia ahead of the Olympics.

However, with time Raygun became better at breaking and slowly rose to the top of Australian breakdancing scene. Apart from her breaking accolades she also collected a PhD in the cultural politics of the sport. The 36-year-old is a lecturer at Macquarie University in the department of media, communications, creative arts, literature and language.

She booked her ticket to Paris through an Olympics qualifying event in Sydney in 2023. Raygun came out on top of the qualifying event where 15 women from across Oceania competed.

However, her performance at the Olympics left a lot to be desired.

Breaking made its debut at the Olympics in Paris and will not feature at the upcoming Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028.