Photo Credit: X/Twitter
Australian break dancer Rachael Gunn (Raygun) went viral for her Olympics break dancing performance, for which she was awarded no points.
Her performance went viral on social media as videos of her dance moves made their rounds on TikTok, X/Twitter, and Instagram. During the five and a half hour breaking Round Robin competition, Raygun was disqualified. While she scored no points, she won hearts on social media. “Raygun is a living legend!” reads one comment under a video of the performance on TikTok. “She’s really dancing like nobody’s watching.”
Others were less forgiving with their commentary. “Oh, I didn’t realize that I too was an Olympic break dancer,” reads one comment. At least one Olympic judge spoke out about the backlash Raygun received online. “Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region,” Chief Breaking Judge Martin Gilian, said of Raygun’s performance. “This is exactly what Raygun was doing—she got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, was a kangaroo.”
The break dancer was given a guard of honor by her teammates at the Olympics closing ceremony after becoming a viral sensation. Rower Angus Widdicombe held Raygun on his shoulders and paraded her through the streets as the rest of Team Australia lined up. As he did, Raygun mimicked the kangaroo move she did in her b-girl routine.
This will never not be funny. 🤣 #Raygun pic.twitter.com/6hOKMyOue9
— Nara Hodge (@Nara_Hodge) August 12, 2024
The performance that was seen around the world, as even Adele stopped her Munich concert to speak with the crowd about the performance. It’s all me and my friends have been talking about,” the singer told the crowd. “And I’m not saying anything, but I think it’s the best thing that has happened at the Olympics for the entire time.”
“I can’t work out if it was a joke but either way it has made me very very happy, and me and my friends have been sh*ting ourselves laughing for nearly 24 hours,” the singer continued.
