You don’t need a medal, or even a single Olympic point, to be celebrated by your own country.
After returning to Australia from the Olympic breaking (or breakdancing) competition in Paris, Rachael “Raygun” Gunn was greeted with cheers in her home nation.
The 36-year-old was encircled by supporters, at which point she broke out a routine to Bruno Mars’ “Uptown Funk” right on the street — featuring twirls and a headstand.
The replies to Gunn’s arrival continued to make light of her infamous Olympic showing, in which she did not receive a single vote in three separate head-to-head breakdancing competitions.
“This isn’t horrible for an amateur but she’s supposed to be great,” wrote one social media user.
“She know damn good and well she didn’t do all those moves that the Olympics,” another insinuated.
Gunn went viral for the wrong reasons, as fans were bemused by her awkward combinations, eccentric uniform and somewhat over-the-top maneuvers.
Nonetheless, “Raygun” didn’t let her spirit fall victim to the same fate as her scorecards.
“All my moves are original,” she said in Paris. “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? I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.”
Japan’s Ami Yuasa (Ami), Lithuania’s Dominika Banevic (Nicka) and China’s Liu Qingyi (671) rounded out the podium in the B-Girls category in the inaugural Olympic breaking showdown.
While not circling the Olympic stage, Gunn commands the lectern as a lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney, where she actually focuses on “the cultural politics of breaking,” per the school’s website.
Gunn also works in the Macquarie University Performance and Expertise Research Centre.