Technicality helps Raygun top the world breakdancing rankings
Rachael Gunn remains the world’s number one female breakdancer, despite Team Australia’s controversial performance at the Olympics dividing the internet and her being given a score of zero.
In response to questions about its rankings, the sport’s governing body has issued a statement explaining its methodology in a bid to “address concerns” and “provide clarity”.
Each athlete was judged on their four best performances over the past 12 months, and Olympic events, including qualifying, were excluded, the report said.
Gunn, who goes by Raygun, continues to defend her title as Australia’s best B-girl amid questions about her skills.
The 37-year-old university lecturer failed to score any points in all three rounds of his competition in Paris, with a performance that included unorthodox moves such as spitting water and kangaroo jumping.
“The record still stands. But anything can happen in a fight,” she said in first sit down interview last week, when asked about her controversial performance.
The World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) has also come under close public scrutiny not only for its rankings but also for “reputation” as a voice for the sport.
In a statement Tuesday, WDSF attempted to directly address criticism that has been circulating online about the transparency of its rankings.
The article explains that “ranking events” have been deliberately not held between late 2023 and the start of the Olympics, so that athletes can “focus fully” on the Games.
And that created a series of “special circumstances” that meant some athletes were ranked based on only a single event.
The statement added: “The current world rankings should be interpreted in conjunction with results from recent global competitions to more accurately reflect the global competitive landscape.”
The weeks-long saga of Raygun’s performance has divided opinion in the breakdancing community, with some people throwing their support behind the struggling athlete, while others publicly accused her of mocking the sport.
It also raises questions about whether breaking – a sport that debuted in Paris but is not on the programme at the 2028 Games in Los Angeles – should be included in the Olympics, given the sport’s nature, which is not necessarily suited to organised competition.
In an interview with the Associated Press, Breaking for Gold USA vice president Zack Slusser argued that the WDSF “doesn’t have any real value” to the breaking community, and that they have failed to host events that “contribute to an accurate world ranking”.
He claimed that the skaters only performed at WDSF-organized events to gain qualifying points for the Olympics, adding that they had “no motivation” or “desire” to continue participating in WDSF events after Paris.
