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In an Olympic sport that may be one and done, Australia’s first breaker bows out in ‘different’ performance

In an Olympic sport that may be one and done, Australia’s first breaker bows out in ‘different’ performance

With the breaking spun, won and done in an Olympics cameo in Paris, Australia’s B-Girl, Rachael Gunn, aka Raygun, bowed out without firing a shot.

The buzz was big around Place de la Concorde with superstar American rapper and Olympics aficionado Snoop Dogg taking to the stage to show off a few of his own moves before opening the event.

There was no doubt about the dynamic skills of the athletes, who are judged on creativity, personality, technique, variety, musicality and vocabulary, which is the variation and quantity of moves.

With two live DJs, competitors engaged in three judged battles, which involved two 60-second routines each, before the elimination round and then medals.

The judges watch on as Raygun performs.(Getty Images: Ezra Shaw)

But with competition stretching five-and-a-half hours even Snoop, the unofficial Games mascot, had seen enough and made his departure midway through the competition.

Manizha Talash, a breaker from the Olympic refugee team, who was born in Afghanistan before fleeing the Taliban, made an early political statement by unveiling a cape during her round with the words “Free Afghan Women” and was applauded by her Dutch competitor India Sardjoe.

Gunn’s first battle was against American Logistx but the Australian was no match for her international rivals, unable to win a point in any three contests including against 16-year-old B-girl Syssy from France.

A university lecturer with a PhD in cultural studies, the 36-year-old said she knew she couldn’t compete athletically with their tricks, spins and strength moves, so she tried to be more creative. 

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Raygun and Logistx of Team USA go head-to-head.(Getty Images: Elsa)

“What I wanted to do was come out here and do something new and different and creative — that’s my strength, my creativity,” Gunn said.

“I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get in a lifetime to do that on an international stage?

“I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.”

ABC Sport is unable to show you the performance nor link to posts about it due to broadcasting rights, but social media lit up with critiques of Raygun’s efforts.

Gunn was asked whether breaking deserved to be an Olympic sport and responded that it filled the criteria.

“What is an Olympic sport? It’s so broad here … what are the similarities between dressage and artistic swimming and the 100m sprint and the pentathlon,” she said.

“Breaking is clearly athletic and it clearly requires a whole level of dedication across a number of different aspects so I feel like it meets that criteria. 

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