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Australian breaker Rachael Gunn, aka “b-girl Raygun,” holds the top spot in her sport’s latest world rankings despite Olympic performances that led to online ridicule.
On Tuesday, the sport’s governing body issued a statement to “provide clarity” on why Raygun tops the rankings.
Rachael Gunn’s performance at the Olympics captured worldwide attention.Credit: AP
Raygun, a 37-year-old university lecturer from Sydney, failed to score any points at the Paris Olympics in routines that included a “kangaroo” dance.
The World DanceSport Federation said the ranking methodology is based on each athlete’s top four performances within the past 12 months — but excludes Olympic events, including the Paris Games and Olympic qualifier series events in Shanghai and Budapest.
Additionally, no ranking events were held between December 2023 and the Olympics – to allow athletes to focus on qualification.
The federation clarified that the unusual circumstances of this year’s competition schedule resulted in many athletes being ranked based on a single event. In Raygun’s case, her first-place finish at the Oceania continental championships in October 2023 earned her 1000 points.
Many within the breaking community have criticised the rankings for not giving a clear picture of breaking as a sport and as a culture.
“Speaking of the WDSF, they actually don’t have any real merit with the breakers or the breaking community,” said Zack Slusser, vice-president of Breaking for Gold USA.