Raygun, mocked for her breakdancing routine, is rare Olympian who’s also a PhD

And while there was plenty of intrigue about the art of breaking itself, it was an Australian competitor — a B-girl called Raygun (real name Rachael Gunn) — who made waves on the internet after clips of her routine became viral on social media.

People were quick to mock Rachael Gunn. Some picked on her attire (one user tweeted: “I feel like Raygun… may have done better if Australia hadn’t insisted she dress like a tennis line judge). Others took jabs at her routine, particularly her signature ‘kangaroo move’ (“It’s surprising that Raygun from Australia is the top breaker. The kangaroo move… how did she make it this far?! What is this? Seriously, is breakdancing really an Olympic event?” or “It looks like she’s giving her opponent detention for inappropriate dress at school.”)

For Gunn, the mockery is nothing new.

Raygun of Australia in action. (Reuters)

“When the Olympic announcement was made, the reaction from the broader Australian public was very negative — in fact there was widespread mockery because people don’t see it as a legitimate sport in Australia,” Gunn told the website of Macquarie University before the Olympics.

In a sport where young athletes thrive — Ami, who claimed gold in the b girl contest, is 25 years old while silver medallist Nicka is 17 and the bronze winner 671 is 18 years of age — the 36-year-old Raygun sticks out from the rest of the field for more reasons than one. Raygun’s day job is that of a lecturer in the Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Literature and Language at Sydney’s Macquarie University.

In fact, she has a PhD in cultural studies, with her thesis (which is titled Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney’s Breakdancing Scene: a B-girl’s Experience of B-boying) focusing on the intersection of gender and Sydney’s breaking culture.

“My research is on the cultural politics of breaking. I look at gender, race, and the politics around identity and representation. I draw on cultural theory, feminist theory, interviews and my own experience as a breaker,” she told Macquarie University’s website.

“I train 12 hours a week and there were interesting reactions from people as I began changing shape, changing dress and changing the way I move… Breaking defines me now — it’s been really empowering in many ways,” Gunn said. “When I first started, I got a lot of comments and criticisms where people wanted me to follow a more feminine, traditional way of being, but over time it has made me more confident. Breaking taught me how to follow my own path.”