- Breaking debuted at the Paris Olympics
- He was cut from Los Angeles and there is no guarantee he will return to Brisbane.
- Raygun and international dancers made a final stop
Raygun may have dominated the headlines for all the wrong reasons at the Paris Olympics, but the Australian breakdancer and international dancers literally stole the show at the closing ceremony at the Stade de France.
The Australian, whose real name is Rachael Gunn, is a university lecturer in Sydney who studied for her PhD in break dance culture before bursting onto the scene in Paris when breaking was added to the Olympics for the first time.
However, her unusual routine, which included kangaroo jumps and wearing an Australian-themed tracksuit, failed and she received no points in three battles at the Place de La Concorde.
However, this etched Raygun’s name into Olympic folklore as an icon for the Australian team and an emblem of the Australian spirit of adventure.
Despite the relentless attacks on social media, Raygun was hailed as a hero in the Olympic village and when it came time to march to the Stade de France for the closing ceremony, it was the maligned breakdancer who was the centre of attention.
Not four-time gold medal winner Kaylee McKeown, not the historic Fox sisters, not Saya Sakakibara, who made Australia cry by winning gold for her brother in BMX.
No, it was Raygun who was hoisted onto the shoulders of rower Angus Widdicombe and cheered raucously by the entire Australian team.
Raygun was the star of the show for the Australians as they prepared to enter the closing ceremony of the Paris Olympics.
Raygun had become a viral hit due to his routine in the breaking competition at the Games that earned him zero points.
Raygun recreated the kangaroo jump and then performed a new routine to the delight of athletes, with one Australian jumper posting footage and saying “put it in the Louvre”.
Australian cyclist Lauretta Hanson called it iconic. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Raygun for his ingenuity.
Raygun wasn’t the only breakdancer whose fellow athletes rallied around her.
The sport has been cancelled for the 2028 Los Angeles Games and there is no certainty it will feature at Brisbane 2032 or beyond.
Knowing this could be their last chance to showcase their skills on a world stage, Olympic breakdancers staged their own revolution during the closing ceremony.
Footage from the stands showed athletes forming a circle around the breakdancers, who were energetically spinning on their backs as the athletes ignored official procedures to form a circle around them and cheer them on.
Viewers believed the breakdancers were stealing the spotlight from the closing ceremony speeches.
Breakdancers broke ranks to perform unscheduled during the closing ceremony, much to the delight of the athletes.
One viewer posted: “I admit that was when there were speeches.”
Another said: “When breakdancing athletes put on a show contrary to the closing ceremony.”
A third noted: “There was more breakdancing at the closing ceremony than at the breakdancing event.”
A fourth said: ‘Breakdancing at the closing ceremony is 10 times better than the actual Olympic competition!’
Another viewer added: “I was really hoping someone would start breakdancing in the middle of the ceremony and then they did. It was amazing to see.”
The sport remains hopeful of returning to Brisbane in 2032. Breaking Federation president Shawn Tay said being included in the Olympics had significantly benefited the sport and they would strive to build on that growth.
“We were warned from the beginning that some of the best breakers might not participate,” Tay said.
“But now we have managed to attract them all, we have the best breakers. Now they are fighting for the glory of their country, it is something totally different.
“And that has really pushed them to improve a lot, to work very hard in a more scientific way.”