Australian breaker Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn achieves the top spot in breaking’s latest world rankings despite facing online criticism and abuse following her Paris Olympics performances. (More Sports News)
In response to questions about its recent rankings, the governing body of the sport, World DanceSport Federation issued a statement explaining its methodology.
The governing body, however, clarified in a statement that rankings are according to the best four performances of each athlete over the past year. So far, all the Olympic events as well as qualification rounds have been removed from the rankings.
Raygun is a 37-year-old university lecturer from Sydney who failed to post a score at the Paris Olympics during routines which included unorthodox routines like kangaroo hop.
The federation explained that the unique circumstances of this year’s competition calendar led to many athletes being ranked based on a single event. In Raygun’s case, her victory at the Oceania continental championships in October 2023 earned her 1,000 points.
Many within the breaking community have expressed dissatisfaction with the rankings, arguing that they do not accurately reflect the true nature of breaking as a sport and culture.
The debate surrounding Raygun’s qualifications has extended beyond her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. It has also raised questions about the suitability of breaking for Olympic competition.
Given the organic nature of the genre, which may not align well with structured competition, there is ongoing discussion about whether breaking should have been included in the Olympics at all, especially considering its exclusion from the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
