At the breakdance at the Paris Olympics, confused Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has risen in the women’s category to the top of the world list.
In Paris, the Australian dancer lost all three “battles” in Paris with a score of 0-18. The performance consisted largely of movements that were quite easy for ordinary viewers.
Gunn’s movement attracted a lot of criticism and memes. Moni said he could do the same as Gunn.
The discussion also took place outside the internet. A singing star Adele glowed Gunn bet in the middle of his concert and couldn’t tell if it was a joke or not. The performance was also imitated Jimmy Fallon’s in a tv show.
Gunn, who got into the middle of the commotion, has also been defended. Having won Breik’s Finnish championships Ramona Panula according to originality is part of the species.
– The fact that a person is criticized and bullied for expressing himself strongly and bravely in his own style is really sad, Panula stated in August.
This is how the ranking works
In addition to Gunn’s top spot on the world list, it is also surprising that there are no Paris Olympic medalists Ami “Ami” Yuasa, Dominika “Nicka” Banevic and Liu “671” Qingyi can be found in the list of 57 names.
World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) opened the principles of the ranking on Tuesday.
Each competitor’s four best performances from the past 12 months are included in the list – excluding the Olympics and the Olympic qualifiers in Shanghai and Budapest.
No ranking competitions were organized at all between December 2023 and the Olympics, so that the athletes could focus on the qualifying competitions.
In October 2023, Gunn won the Oceania breakdance championship, which earned him 1,000 ranking points and a place at the Paris Olympics. In the Oceania competitions, the level is not as high as, for example, in the European or Asian championships.
According to the WDSF, the unusual Competition Calendar has led to a situation where the ranking of many breakers consists of only one competition.
– The world list should be interpreted together with recent competitions in order to get a more accurate picture of the international situation, the WDSF website says.
According to WDSF, the ranking is updated when more competitions are held, and now the competition results affecting the ranking expire after being valid for more than 12 months.
Criticism of the sports association
The ranking has been criticized in sports circles as confusing, because it does not give a clear picture of the sport and the culture associated with it. Vice-president of Breaking For Gold USA, which represents American breakers Zack Slusser criticizes the WDSF for the lack of ranking competitions.
– They have not been able to organize competitions on the basis of which a credible world list could be built, Slusser said.
According to Slusser, the competitors went to the events held by the sport’s umbrella organization only to secure a place in the Olympics, where the sport was participating for the first – and for now last – time.
– WDSF’s competitions are not cultural events, and they are not enjoyable. Other international competitions are festivals aimed at breakers. It’s about the feeling and the community, Slusser said.
Gunn apologized
At the beginning of September, Gunn himself apologized to the sports community for the criticism that the brakemen have received since the Olympics. He said that he was very nervous before the Olympics.
– I knew that I would be beaten and that my style would not be understood. Circumstances were against me, that’s for sure Gunn said.
Gunn said that he is not going to compete for a while because he wants to avoid publicity. He wants to focus on the positive aspects of the case and the joy he brought to people.
– That’s what this is all about, having fun while giving it your all, at the risk of losing.
Gunn said in the interview that he hasn’t seen the sketch about him on Jimmy Fallon’s show.
– I don’t know if I should shout at him or hug him because he gave me visibility. This all feels like a strange dream, from which I will wake up at any moment.