Australian Olympic dance star is married university lecturer, 36 (2024)

The Australian breakdancing star who sent the internet into a frenzy with her eccentric dance moves at the Olympics is a doctorate-holding university researcher who got into the sport after being introduced to it by her husband.

Rachael Gunn, 36, has become an unlikely online sensation after taking to the stage during the first ever 'breaking' competition at the 2024 Paris Games with moves that were compared to a child flopping over and Homer Simpson running on the floor.

Introduced to the world as 'Raygun' - her bgirl ('breakgirl') name - Gunn lost out to competitors half her age in the round robin qualifiers on Friday, but her face-off against France's Syssy captured the attention of thousands.

Ms Gunn is, however, Australia's top-ranking breakdancer - and an expert researcher on breaking. She works for Sydney's Macquarie University as a creative arts researcher specialising in 'the cultural politics of breakdancing', and has a PhD.

Alongside high school student Jeff Dunne - known as 'J-Attack' when competing - she carried Australia's hopes of becoming the first ever Olympic breaking champions on her shoulders.

But her routine - some of which saw her flopping along the floor and even hopping like a kangaroo - baffled viewers across the world and ultimately saw her leaving empty handed despite showing technical craft and even performing headstands.

As videos of the performance circulated on the internet, users shared their thoughts on all things Raygun, from her stage name, outfit choice, and overall performance.

'I could live all my life and never come up with anything as funny as Raygun, the 36-year-old Australian Olympic breakdancer,' one user wrote.

'Never watched breaking before but I can already tell Raygun doesn't have a chance in this event,' another added.

'Raygun breaking looks like 5 year old me going up to my mom like 'look what I can do',' a third quipped.

Regardless of her performance, other users commended the Australian for her confidence and courage. However, they did not let that excuse the non-Olympic quality performance.

'Props to Raygun for having the guts to go out there,' one user suggested. 'But this was the most second hand embarrassment I've ever felt.'

'Raygun from Australia is my Olympic hero actually,' another added.

Meanwhile, a sixth user wrote: 'Raygun, I'm sure you're a sweet lady, but man,' with a laughing and crying emoji.

And another summarised: 'Turning up as lecturer with a phd in breakdancing, twice the age of all the other contestants, scoring zero points and just doing homer simpson running in circles on the floor while teenagers dunk on you... love herrrr raygun you're everything.'

But the professional dancer appears to have shaken off her haters - sharing an Instagram post from the World DanceSport Federation featuring a photograph of her, accompanied by a motivational quote, on her 'Stories' feed.

Attributed to Raygun, the quote reads: 'Don't be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that's gonna take you.'

She later appeared to hit out at some of the online hate, particularly critics of her outfit, which was compared unfavourably by one X, formerly Twitter, user to that of a 'tennis line judge'.

A later Instagram Story read: 'Looking forward to the same level of scrutiny on what the bboys (breakboys) wear tomorrow,' signed off with an eyes emoji.

And despite questions over her routine, there's no doubting Raygun's credentials - whether on the mean streets of Sydney or behind a desk at Macquarie University.

Raygun was the Australian Breaking Association's top ranked bgirl ('break-girl') in 2020 and 2021.

She represented her country at the World Breaking Championships in 2021, 2022 and 2023, and won last year's Oceania Breaking Championships - victory at which secured her position as Australia's Olympic bgirl.

She told Australia's Channel 9 Today last month ahead of the Games: 'It's so exciting because so many people don't know about breaking or what they know about breaking was from the early 80s.

'It has changed a lot over the years and the things breakers can do is mind-blowing and I'm so excited for people to see that at the Olympics.'

At Macquarie - where her academic photograph shows her in dance-friendly loose fitting jeans and a red jacket - she teaches undergraduate and postgraduate students while undertaking research projects on street dancing, particularly around women trying to break into the scene.

Among her publications are ''Don't Worry, it's Just a Girl!': Negotiating and Challenging Gendered Assumptions in Sydney's Breakdancing Scene' and 'Where the #bgirls at? Politics of (in)visibility in breaking culture'.

She also wrote, seemingly with simmering anger, about the idea that breakdancing being included in the Olympics was a 'gag' in a paper alongside another researcher and fellow breaker, Lucas Marie.

They wrote in their abstract, published in Global Hip Hop Studies, that the Olympics could bring about 'wider recognition and legitimization of the dance' as well as open up opportunities for breakers to make more money and elevate their careers.

The 36-year-old is also a former jazz and ballroom dancer and is married to husband Samuel, who introduced her to the sport.

The 2024 Paris Games are the first time breaking has been included as an Olympic sport - but it is not on the slate for the 2028 event in Los Angeles.

And the dance-off format brings with it a whole host of new additions to the competition - including competitors performing under their 'street' names rather than their full names.

Among them is 671, a Chinese teenager believed to be the first Olympic athlete without a letter in her recognised competitive name.

Competitors also size each other up on the stage and watch one another as they throw down. Raygun's French rival Syssy, 17, caused some consternation by starting her own routine before the Australian had properly finished.

Raygun finished the group round robin 0-3 against Team USA's Logistix, the aforementioned Syssy and Nicka of Lithuania.

And while she has bowed out of the competition, the academic says she is simply happy to have taken part in that rare thing: the birth of a new Olympic sport.

'I'm super excited to be a part of bringing breaking to the world,' she said.

'It is such a phenomenal atmosphere, and a privilege to get this opportunity.

'All my moves are original. Creativity is really important to me. Sometimes it speaks to the judges, and sometimes it doesn't. I do my thing, and it represents art. That is what it is all about.'