Who is Raygun, the Australian breakdancer taking over the internet at the Paris Olympics?
Olympic breakdancing has found its new face.
If you’ve been following breakdancing at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the odds are you’ve been acquainted with Raygun, the Australian competitor who has taken the internet by storm for her performances at the Games.
Raygun, whose real name is Dr. Rachael Gunn, is a 36-year-old lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney. She holds a Ph.D in cultural science and researches the “cultural politics of breaking.”
But she’s not just interested in the theory. Raygun competed on behalf of her native Australia, and though she went 0-3 at the Paris Games, her style made her an immediately relatable star.
She’s gonna get that Juilliard audition, for her mom and Derek
. pic.twitter.com/tgdyFJHTbk
— Charlie (@charlieblr) August 9, 2024
If I send you this picture, know that I have no business doing what I’m doing but I’m doing it ANYWAY
pic.twitter.com/rohAWMMRD9
— Michelle_BYoung (@michelle_byoung) August 9, 2024
I mean, seriously, how sick is this kangaroo move?
There has not been an Olympic performance this dominant since Usain Bolt’s 100m sprint at Beijing in 2008. Honestly, the moment Raygun broke out her Kangaroo move this competition was over! Give her the #breakdancing gold
pic.twitter.com/6q8qAft1BX— Trapper Haskins (@TrapperHaskins) August 9, 2024
Raygun’s trip to Paris may not have ended with a trip to the podium, but she received something even more valuable than a gold medal: the adoration of thousands of anonymous internet denizens.
Godspeed, Raygun.