After a lot of hassle, breaking or break dancing made its introduction on Friday at the Paris Olympics for the first time. The routine demands the utmost energy and flexibility to land perfectly. On the first day of it (August 9), the women’s contest graced the show. It was met with both criticism and accolades from the same place. 

Rachael Gunn, commonly known as ‘Raygun’, performed a routine that irked many eyes. In the routine, Gunn used her hands to squirm on the floor. But she did that while keeping her hand on her chin. This move led to whether it had been necessary to add street performance to a prestigious field such as the Paris Olympics. The questionable moment came when she countered Sya Dembele, aka Syssy, in one of the qualifying matches. The routine earned Rachael Gunn no points. But coming from a rich background, she had to face mismatched questions. 

Rachael Gunn has higher degrees in the creative arts, and her specialization comes in “the cultural politics of breakdancing.” This educational qualification has attracted a lot more attention from others. Ironically, last year she published a research paper ridiculing the sportification of breaking by the Olympics. Hardly, she knew that she would have a chance to enter the same circle. Apart from that, the 36-year-old performer’s confidence on the stage and her dressing sense were also at the center. 

Notably, Rachael appeared in a dark green and gold tracksuit—the colors defining Australian nationality—and in a cap. However, her competitors showed up in more casual and trendy dresses, using several styles of gear. But Rachael Gunn has her own ways of dealing with things. She has been eliminated from the Paris Olympics without a score. But that may not belittle her expertise in the art form. 

Rachael Gunn stands on her creativity while countering the young rush 

With over 20 years in the breaking dance form, Rachael Gunn holds a respectable place in the Australian breaking system. In 2021-23, she represented Australia at the World Breaking Championships. Furthermore, in 2020 and 2021, she topped the Australian Breaking Association’s chart and became the best B-girl (a colloquial term to define a breaker). Raygun ultimately claimed her Olympic berth by winning last year’s Oceania Breaking Championships. Still, when she found herself in the hot water against the names at the Olympics, she held onto her known strategy. 

“I wanted to do something artistic and creative. How many chances do you get in a lifetime to do something on the international stage? It was important to me, from that sense, to do the performance that I did,” she mentioned. In front of her youthful competitors, Raygun banked on this strategy. But still, a defeat won’t bug her much, as she got the chance to represent her country at the highest stage. Rachael Gunn could cherish that all along.