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Louise Thomas
Editor
The internet is going wild for Australian breaker Rachael Gunn at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
A series of clips of the 36-year-old athlete - also known as Raygun - went viral on social media, leading internet users to flood platforms with their various hot takes and memes. Many people weren’t sure what to make of Gunn’s interesting moves.
“Insane respect, got an all expenses paid trip to Paris plus all the free gear and is forever an Olympian,” another added. “She cooked hard here I’m afraid.”
But others were shocked she had made it thus far.
“It’s surprising that Raygun from Australia is the best breaker y’all have,” one user wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. “How did she make it this far?!”
In 2020 and 2021, Gunn has been ranked Australia’s top breaker, however, she didn’t make the list in 2024.
Meanwhile in 2023, the top b-girl - the colloquial term for breaker - went on to win the Oceania Breaking Championships, in which athletes are not only judged based on their technical skills but also their flair and individual style being just as important.
At the Paris Olympics, Gunn ultimately lost all three battles against her opponents and did not advance to the semifinals. In the games, she won zero points due to none of the judges thinking she outdid any of her competitors.
In the clips, Gunn was seen donning Team Australia’s national uniform, wearing a dark green and gold tracksuit inspired by the nation’s national colors along with a matching cap. People noted that clips of Gunn waving her hands in circular motions and dragging herself across the floor reminded them of the way toddlers move. Some pointed out one move in which she could be seen hopping from side to side on her wrists near her abdomen, called the kangaroo move, which seems to pay homage to Australia’s national animal.
“What my nephew does after telling all of us to ‘watch this,’” one person wrote.
Another added, “I’m positive this is hard and impressive because it’s in the Olympics but why does it look like what a toddler shows you after saying ‘look what I can do!’”
One person compared her to the hip-hop dancer from Bob’s Burgers.
“All I can think about when I see this is the hip hop dance teacher from Bob’s Burgers but if instead she was from Australia and was a 36 year old woman named Raygun,” another added.
