NEWS
Viral Olympic Australian Breakdancer Raygun is Surprisingly Ranked No.1 in the World
One of the athletes that gained the most attention during the Paris 2024 Summer Olympics was arguably Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn, best known as B-Girl Raygun, but for all the wrong reasons due to her questionable and quirky moves. Her performances also failed to score any points in all three rounds against breakers from France, the United States, and Lithuania in August, losing 18-0 each time.
However, shockingly, CNN has reported that the Aussie has ranked no.1 in the latest women’s rankings released by the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF), the governing body of breaking and other dancesports.
This is because she won the gold medal at the 2023 WDSF Oceania Championships, securing her 1,000 ranking points, which boosts her ranking to the top spot, even ahead of those who defeated her during the Olympics.
According to their website, “The WDSF Breaking World Ranking List is governed by the WDSF Breaking Rules and Regulations Manual (BRRM) and is updated based on each athlete’s top four performances within the past 12 months. Points earned in these competitions remain valid for 52 weeks from the date of the event.”
WDSF also clarified that the Olympic qualifying events in Shanghai and Budapest, as well as the Paris Games themselves, did not contribute to the ranking list due to limited athlete quotas. Events which traditionally give ranking points were not held between 31 December 2023 and the Games to allow competitors to entirely focus on preparation for the world’s biggest sporting event.
In case you don’t recall, Raygun made waves for her unorthodox moves, which included a kangaroo hop, a backward roll, and contorting her body while lying or crawling on the floor. She also became a worldwide meme.
@bubbly_banana1 Raygun breakdance #Paris #olympics2024 ♬ The Olympic Theme - Paul Brooks
For comparison, here is one of the performances by world no.2’s, BGirl Riko, who many netizens feel is far superior to Raygun.
Many also criticised the inclusion of breakdancing as an Olympic event, but the decision to exclude it from the 2028 LA Olympics was made beforehand.
What do you think of the rankings? Let us know in the comments section.
Featured Image Credit: youtube.com/@TheProjectTV, instagram.com/raygun_aus
Featured Image Credit: youtube.com/@TheProjectTV, instagram.com/raygun_aus
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