Breaking made its long-awaited debut at the Paris Olympics on Friday - and the routine of an academic dancer called 'Raygun' has left fans questioning whether the street performance art has a role to play in the global contest of champions.<br /><br />A clip of the 36-year-old - real name Rachael Gunn - quickly went viral as she awkwardly squirmed on the dance floor with her hand on her chin to end what was already a confusing and chaotic routine.<br /><br />The video was taken from her face-off against France's Syssy (Sya Dembélé) in the second of three qualifying matches on Friday afternoon - and the Australian ultimately scored no points against any of her three rivals.<br /><br /><br />Ms. Gunn is Australia's top-ranking breakdancer and an expert researcher on breaking who works for Sydney's Macquarie University as a creative arts researcher specializing in 'the cultural politics of breakdancing'.<br /><br />However, 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.<br /><br /> '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. <br /><br />'Never watched breaking before but I can already tell Raygun doesn't have a chance in this event,' another added. <br /><br />'Raygun breaking looks like 5-year-old me going up to my mom like 'look what I can do',' a third quipped. <br /><br />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. <br /><br />'Props to Raygun for having the guts to go out there,' one user suggested. 'But this was the most secondhand embarrassment I've ever felt.' <br /><br />'Raygun from Australia is my Olympic hero actually,' another added. <br /><br />Meanwhile, a sixth user wrote: 'Raygun, I'm sure you're a sweet lady, but man,' with a laughing and crying emoji. <br /><br />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.<br /><br />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.' <br /><br />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.<br /><br />Raygun was the Australian Breaking Association's top-ranked bgirl ('break-girl') in 2020 and 2021. <br /><br />She represented her country at the World Breaking Championships in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and won last year's Oceania Breaking Championships - a victory that secured her position as Australia's Olympic girl.
