Australia’s first Olympic breaker is a PhD-qualified university lecturer whose male counterpart is a high school student 20 years her junior.

You can store that one away, I’m sure it’ll be an answer to a trivia question somewhere along the line. 

Rachael “B-girl Raygun” Gunn, 36, and Jeff ‘J-Attack’ Dunne, 16, are Australia’s representatives in the Olympics’ newest sport: breaking 

The pair is among 33 breakers from 15 countries and the Refugee Olympic Team that will take to the dance floor from tonight, vying for gold for the first time in Olympic history.

ABC Sport is live blogging every day of the Paris Olympics

The stage resembles a giant record and the backdrop is a massive replica of a boom box. 

It’s a nod to the musical root of breaking — the breakbeat itself — the moment when a song’s vocals drop and the DJ loops the beat over and over, to allow B-boys and B-girls to make their mark on the dance floor.

How will it work?

For first-time watchers, there’s a lot to understand about the elements of breaking, let alone the competition.

Breakers are separated into groups of four for a round-robin style phase where competitors face-off in one-on-one battles. 

The two breakers from each group with the most wins from two battles proceed to the quarterfinals. 

It then goes ahead to knock-out rounds for the quarterfinals, semifinals and eventually the gold medal match. 

The breakers won’t know what songs or music they’ll compete to — the element of surprise is just as much a part of their experience as the audience’s. 

Breaking has its own judging structure — the Trivium judging system — which will allow judges to evaluate breakers on their technique, vocabulary or variety, execution, musicality and originality.

What am I looking for?

Alright, let’s break it down. And don’t pardon the pun, it was absolutely intended. 

There are four elements to look for in the breaking competition:

Toprock

How a breaker starts their dance, while still standing, before going to the floor. 

It’s an introduction to the dancer and their style, before they launch onto the floor into their footwork and other moves.

Footwork

Also known as “downrock”, these are moves done on the ground, with support from hands, as the breaker moves their legs through a variety of steps.

Power move

Dynamic moves that highlight acrobatics and strength, using repetitive, circular movements, including head spins, air flares and windmills.

Freeze

A static position when a breaker hits and holds a move for a few seconds. 

It’s most appreciated when it’s synced up with a particular beat or sound in the music.

Could we actually win a medal?

Given it’s the first time this event’s been held at the Olympics — the biggest stage ever for the new sport — it’s really hard to say. 

You can’t knock Gunn’s credentials. She literally lectures in the history of her chosen field. 

Gunn did not take up breaking until her mid-20s and stands out among the teenagers qualified to date, who include Lithuanian world champion Dominika Banevic, a 16-year-old who competes as “B-girl Nicka”.

Yet Gunn is far from an anomaly, with American rival Sunny Choi also set to fly the flag for mid-thirties breakers at Paris after giving up a corporate career.

Younger bodies have it easier learning and perfecting “power moves”, the more acrobatic elements of breaking that often demand speed, strength and momentum, Gunn concedes.

However, Gunn is still trying out — and nailing — new elements with the help of her husband and coach Samuel Free, a competitive breaker under the name “Sammy The Free”.

“It’s a different experience. I obviously spend more time warming up, more time in recovery and just make sure I look after my body,” Gunn said in an interview with Reuters before travelling to Paris.

“I don’t think a 20-year-old needs to worry as much about those things.”

Should it even be there?

This is where things get messy. 

Breaking was popular at the Youth Olympics in Buenos Aires in 2018 and drew enthusiastic crowds at its Asian Games debut in China last year.

However, its addition to the Olympic program has had its detractors, with cynics dismissing it as a desperate ploy by the International Olympic Committee to attract a younger audience.

Some dancers are also sceptical how breaking’s underground roots and street culture fit the commercialised Olympic movement.

The organisers of the Los Angeles games in 2028 decided against keeping breaking, so all eyes after tonight shift to the potential of Brisbane in 2032. 

Though “Raygun” can see both sides of the debate, she raves about a highly accessible sport that has become a lot more inclusive and respectful of women since she penned her thesis.

“They get fit, they get a creative outlet and become part of this community,” Gunn said.

• The b-girls breaking round robin is scheduled to start just after midnight tonight (AEST) with the men’s division scheduled for the same time tomorrow night. ABC Sport is live blogging every moment from the Paris Olympics. 

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