A new Australian meme was born over the weekend: Raygun, aka Rachael Gunn, the Olympic breakdancer who bombed so hard she sparked an avalanche of international discourse.
The 36-year-old b-girl and academic failed to score a single point in the first (and potentially last) breakdancing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with an unconventional routine featuring kangaroo hops and floor-writhing in place of the sport’s usual tricks.
It was a deliberate choice, as Gunn admitted: “I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative, because how many chances do you get in a lifetime to do that on an international stage?”
Was her performance creative, camp, cringe… or an act of colonisation? The internet is undecided.
Let’s run through the takes.
Is this really our best?
The absurdity of Gunn’s performance had the couch experts immediately questioning how she qualified. Was this, as Anna Meares, Chef de Mission of the Australian Olympic team, insisted, “the best breakdancer female that we have”?
As it turns out… probably not.
The campaign to add breaking to the Olympics was led by the World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) – a ballroom dancing organisation. After the addition was confirmed in 2019, an Australian administering body was cobbled together and a qualifying event — the WDSF Oceania Breaking Championships — was held in October 2023.
Raygun won the open women’s event from a field of 15 b-girls, then it was off to Paris!
White mediocrity
Was it a good look for Australia to field a white woman in a sport originated by Black people? For some, this was the perfect example of white mediocrity being elevated over the more talented people of colour who are truly embedded in breakdancing culture.
Notable mention to IT millionaire and expelled NSW Liberal Matthew Camenzuli, who tweeted: “Breaking is the expression of the people from the streets, on the street… What would Dr Raygun know of this life.”
The irony reached incredible levels when Twitter users unearthed Dr Raygun’s academic work. Was the Mr. G-esque routine actually a searing political commentary about how the institutional “sportification” of breaking marginalises the very people who give the form cultural relevance? Was this bad on purpose?
If that was Gunn’s intent, she might have to answer for co-opting traditional Aboriginal dance moves.
Then there was the predictable camp of politicians who take issue with the fact that cultural studies exist at all. Liberal Senator Gerard Rennick tweeted the most urgent of questions: “Just how many obscure and pointless courses do universities offer that are subsidised by the taxpayer?”
Criticism = misogynistic trolling
The backlash was, of course, swiftly followed by the backlash to the backlash.
Anna Meares categorised the criticism of Gunn’s performance as misogynistic trolling, saying: “Now you look at the history of what we have had as women athletes, have faced in terms of criticism, belittlement, judgment, and simple comments like ‘They shouldn’t be there’.”
Gunn herself also weighed in, referencing the Kath & Kim comparisons made of her green and gold tracksuit, posting to Instagram stories: “Looking forward to the same level of scrutiny on what the bboys wear tomorrow.”
Raygun won the Olympics, actually
Was a portion of the commentary about Gunn derisive, mocking and misogynistic? Of course, this is the internet. The trolls are well fed! But the virality brought big-name supporters too.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the fact that she “had a crack”. Craig Foster praised her “guts to be different”. Peter FitzSimons penned a column featuring the rallying cry “We are all Raygun!”
Even the judges that scored her exclusively with zeroes said her performance wasn’t exactly bad, and that Raygun should be celebrated for embodying the spirit of originality in break dancing.
Perhaps the fact that everyone knows Raygun’s name is all that matters? In case you hadn’t heard, Australian b-boy J-Attack didn’t make it out of the group stage either. Japan’s b-girl Ami and Canada’s b-boy Phil Wizard won the women’s and men’s gold medals, respectively.
Attention is worth more than gold medals, baby!
Is Raygun an Australian hero or zero? Let us know your thoughts by writing to letters@crikey.com.au. Please include your full name to be considered for publication. We reserve the right to edit for length and clarity.
