Of all the global stars to rise from this year’s Olympic Games —Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Dame Lisa Carrington— 36-year-old Macquarie University lecturer Rachael Gunn is perhaps the unlikeliest. 

Raygun, as per her stage name, is a true icon of these times. Not because she competed in the most modern of Olympic sports —breaking— but because through the power of the internet, her efforts have become arguably the most recognisable of the entire Olympic Games. 

If you haven’t seen Raygun’s performance, I don’t know where you’ve been. All I know is you don’t have social media, because the flood of clips and memes celebrating, remixing, and/or mocking her dancing has completely inundated every bite of every feed of every platform. 

When most of us think of breakdancing, we think of incredibly athletic people spinning and twisting. We think of spinning headstands, headslides, one-handed body freezes.  Really good breaking is just gymnastics to hip hop.

Raygun didn’t do that stuff. She openly admits she can’t! Instead, she did a range of pumps and thrusts that honestly wouldn’t have physically been beyond the reach of many of those people watching. 

For all those people who thought the Olympics would be improved by having a mere mortal compete with the elite athletes, just to give you perspective of how good they really are? Anyone who saw Raygun’s signature move, the kangaroo, would have to agree. Yep, this was that. 

Part of me admires her chutzpah. Imagine having the confidence to go to the Olympic Games —the Olympics— only to pull out a dance routine reminiscent of Jack Tame at the Grumpy Mole circa 2003. The judges gave Raygun three straight zeroes! 

Internet culture has a way of fixating on a person or a moment with maximum intensity, only to move on a few days. The public shaming aspect must be so hard to endure. Raygun is a global icon this week. But soon enough, the internet will move on.

Tell you what though, I think there will be one enduring impact from Raygun’s performance. I stumbled across a clip earlier this week that caught my eye. It was of a ridiculously good breaker, twisting and springing and spinning like a top gymnast on a pommel horse. He did a backwards worm, tumbling back towards the ground and seemingly bending his body against the direction of all his limbs. It was amazing! 

Who is this? Where is this? I wondered. 

Then I realised, it was the Olympics. Raygun’s performance was so extraordinary, it has completely overshadowed the medallists in her sport. So many more people have seen the kangaroo than have seen the actual winning performances. Can you name the Olympic breakdancing medallists? 

The IOC wanted to bring new audiences to the games. Breaking has certainly done that, just not in the way they anticipated. And if they’re weighing up breaking’s inclusion in any future games, the fact that very few of us will recall more than a plucky Aussie in a tucked-in tracksuit does not bode well for the Olympic future of the sport.

Of all the global stars to rise from this year’s Olympic Games —Simone Biles, Katie Ledecky, Dame Lisa Carrington— 36-year-old Macquarie University lecturer Rachael Gunn is perhaps the unlikeliest.  
Raygun, as per her stage name, is a true icon of these times. Not because she competed in the most modern of Olympic sports —breaking— but because through the power of the internet, her efforts have become arguably the most recognisable of the entire Olympic Games.  
If you haven’t seen Raygun’s performance, I don’t know where you’ve been. All I know is you don’t have social media, because the flood of clips and memes celebrating, remixing, and/or mocking her dancing has completely inundated every bite of every feed of every platform.  
When most of us think of breakdancing, we think of incredibly athletic people spinning and twisting. We think of spinning headstands, headslides, one-handed body freezes.  Really good breaking is just gymnastics to hip hop. 
Raygun didn’t do that stuff. She openly admits she can’t! Instead, she did a range of pumps and thrusts that honestly wouldn’t have physically been beyond the reach of many of those people watching.  
For all those people who thought the Olympics would be improved by having a mere mortal compete with the elite athletes, just to give you perspective of how good they really are? Anyone who saw Raygun’s signature move, the kangaroo, would have to agree. Yep, this was that.  
Part of me admires her chutzpah. Imagine having the confidence to go to the Olympic Games —the Olympics— only to pull out a dance routine reminiscent of Jack Tame at the Grumpy Mole circa 2003. The judges gave Raygun three straight zeroes!  
Internet culture has a way of fixating on a person or a moment with maximum intensity, only to move on a few days. The public shaming aspect must be so hard to endure. Raygun is a global icon this week. But soon enough, the internet will move on. 
Tell you what though, I think there will be one enduring impact from Raygun’s performance. I stumbled across a clip earlier this week that caught my eye. It was of a ridiculously good breaker, twisting and springing and spinning like a top gymnast on a pommel horse. He did a backwards worm, tumbling back towards the ground and seemingly bending his body against the direction of all his limbs. It was amazing!  
Who is this? Where is this? I wondered.  
Then I realised, it was the Olympics. Raygun’s performance was so extraordinary, it has completely overshadowed the medallists in her sport. So many more people have seen the kangaroo than have seen the actual winning performances. Can you name the Olympic breakdancing medallists?  
The IOC wanted to bring new audiences to the games. Breaking has certainly done that, just not in the way they anticipated. And if they’re weighing up breaking’s inclusion in any future games, the fact that very few of us will recall more than a plucky Aussie in a tucked-in tracksuit does not bode well for the Olympic future of the sport.

Jack Tame’s crisp perspective, style and enthusiasm makes for refreshing and entertaining Saturday morning radio on Newstalk ZB.

News, sport, books, music, gardens and celebrities – what better way to spend your Saturdays?

Jack Tame’s crisp perspective, style and enthusiasm makes for refreshing and entertaining Saturday morning radio on Newstalk ZB. News, sport, books, music, gardens and celebrities – what better way to spend your Saturdays?

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