Olympic breakdancer B-Girl Raygun ranked world’s No. 1 breaker despite viral backlash

Australian Olympian B-Girl Raygun has been ranked No. 1 in the world despite her viral Olympic performance backlash.

Australian Olympian Rachael Gunn, better known as B-Girl Raygun, has officially been ranked the No. 1 breaker in the world by the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF). Despite losing all her battles at the Paris 2024 Olympics, Raygun secured the top spot due to her gold medal win at the 2023 WDSF Oceania Championships, earning her 1,000 ranking points. She is now level on points with Japan's B-Girl Riko, surpassing the breakers who defeated her in Paris.

Raygun’s Olympic performances, including her unique moves like the kangaroo hop and backward roll, attracted widespread attention online. Many were critical of her style, with one user on X, formerly Twitter, calling her routines “hilariously ridiculous.” Celebrities like Adele even commented on her performance, with Adele asking her Munich concert audience whether Raygun’s routine was a “joke.”

Responding to the criticism, Raygun remained upbeat but acknowledged the backlash, saying, “I knew that people were not going to understand my style.” The WDSF clarified that the Olympic results did not contribute to rankings due to limited athlete quotas, and athletes were ranked based on their top four performances over the past 12 months.

Martin Gilian, the chief breaking judge at the Olympics, defended Raygun’s style, saying, “She was trying to be original and bring something new to the table.” Despite the online controversy, Raygun has focused on the positive feedback and the joy her performance brought to fans.