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Harvey Kong

Among the various breakers competing in the Paris Olympics, one in particular has taken the internet by storm: Australia’s Rachael Gunn.
In videos of her performances shared online, B-Girl Raygun was seen hopping around like a kangaroo, touching her toes while lying down and seemingly squirming around on the dance floor.
Netizens were quick to pick up on Gunn’s unusual moves and catapulted her to internet fame with thousands memes.
But who is she? Let’s take a look.
Early years

Born in Hornsby in New South Wales, Gunn was a former jazz and ballroom dancer. She was introduced to breaking by the man she later married, who had been practising for 10 years.
Although Gunn grew up dancing, she did not start competing in breaking competitions until her mid-twenties.
“I wasn’t a sporty kid, I was more of a dance kid,” Gunn had said. “I never thought the Olympics would be on the cards for me. It’s such a privilege and it’s hugely exciting.”
Breakdancing career
Gunn graduated university with her PHD thesis focusing on ‘the intersection of gender and Sydney’s breaking culture’ in 2017.

Judges made the right call here because what was that move lol #Olympics #Breakdancing pic.twitter.com/sXAs9AdHjX
— MⓞNK BLOODY P👑s (@MonkeyBlood) August 9, 2024

By 2020, Gunn worked her way up to become the Australian Breaking Association’s top ranked B-Girl.
She took part at the World Breaking Championships in Paris in 2021 and in Seoul 12 months later, and qualified for the Paris Games via the Oceania Championships in October 2023.
“I think a lot of people had doubted my ability to do it and maybe thought I was getting too old to be able to stay on top,” she said. “But I just kept pushing hard, I want to get better, and I want the scene to grow and get better.
Gunn’s experience had also influenced her beyond the dance floor as well.
She is a lecturer at the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature at Macquarie University, where her biography states that she is an interdisciplinary and practice-based researcher interested in the cultural politics of breaking.

6 year olds after saying “watch this” pic.twitter.com/hl2QiwHfXP
— B.W. Carlin (@BaileyCarlin) August 9, 2024

Internet fame
Despite Gunn’s experience in the discipline, her unique performance at the Paris Olympics quickly went viral on social media.
She finished the group phase with no points, which led many to question how she earned qualification.
Despite the jokes, Gunn defended her performance.

#Olympics pic.twitter.com/bYcV89SrXl
— Evan Morgan Grahame (@Evan_M_G) August 10, 2024

“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?,” she said.
“I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.”
The memes drew an impassioned defence from Australia’s chef de mission Anna Meares as she hit out at “trolls and keyboard warriors”.
“If you don’t know Rachael’s story, in 2008, she was locked in a room crying, being involved in a male dominated sport as the only woman and it took great courage for her to continue on and fight for her opportunity to participate in a sport that she loved,” she said.
Meares noted that Gunn was the best female breakdancer the country had and was an “absolutely loved member” of the Olympic team.


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Who is Rachael Gunn? Paris Olympics’ Australian breakdancer who became internet meme

Australia’s Rachael Gunn, known as B-Girl Raygun, was the talk of social media after her unique breakdancing at the Paris Olympics. Photo: AP

Rachael Gunn, known as B-Girl Raygun, also has a PHD which focused on breaking in her native Australia. Photo: AFP

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Sport

Paris Olympics 2024

The Buzz

In videos of her performances shared online, B-Girl Raygun was seen hopping around like a kangaroo and touching her toes while lying down


In videos of her performances shared online, B-Girl Raygun was seen hopping around like a kangaroo, touching her toes while lying down and seemingly squirming around on the dance floor.


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Profile | Who is Rachael Gunn? Paris Olympics’ Australian breakdancer who became internet meme

In videos of her performances shared online, B-Girl Raygun was seen hopping around like a kangaroo and touching her toes while lying down

Early years