Before she went viral at the Olympics, breakdancer Raygun was 'locked in a room crying'.

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Despite a much-anticipated appearance by rapper Snoop Dogg to open the inaugural female break dancing event at the Olympic Games, it was a performance by an Australian that has everyone talking. 

Dr Rachael Gunn, a 36-year-old lecturer at Sydney's Macquarie University, was Australia's bgirl representative, and her breaking battles quickly went viral.

She secured her place as Australia's b-girl representative after winning last year's Oceania Breaking Championships, but unfortunately, Gunn — whose breaking name is 'Raygun' — attracted attention for all the wrong reasons, with some feeling her performance was awkward.

READ NOW: 'It's been devastating.' Raygun has a message for Australia.

Within hours, her performances had been made into TikToks and memes, with many poking fun of the Olympian. Now, chef de mission Anna Meares has come out in defence of our newest icon, saying she should be applauded for her courage, not dragged for her performance. 

"What has occurred on social media with trolls and keyboard warriors, and taking those comments and giving them air time, has been really disappointing," she said. "Raygun is an absolutely loved member of this Olympic team. She has represented the Olympic team, the Olympic spirit, with great enthusiasm.

"And I absolutely love her courage. I love her character and I feel very disappointed for her, that she has come under the attack that she has."

And you know what? Us too. 

READ NOW: We've fact checked everything that's happened since Raygun performed at the Olympics.

Meares continued, "In 2008, she was locked in a room crying, being involved in a male-dominated sport as the only woman. And it took great courage for her to continue on and fight for her opportunity to participate in a sport that she loved. That got her to winning the Olympic qualifying event to be here in Paris.

"It takes a lot of courage to walk out into any sporting environment and try to have a go ... How can we continue to encourage our kids to do that when we're prepared to slam our athletes who do it on a global stage?"

In Olympic breakdancing, which was only added to the lineup for the first time this year (and has apparently already been cut from the 2028 LA Games), competitors are judged in categories of technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality and originality, and Raygun received no points against any of her three opponents from the judges. 

But there's no denying she had plenty of creativity, for example, when she busted out some kangaroo hopping. And she obviously had a hell of a lot of fun doing what she loves.

It's that sort of energy that began shifting the conversation online from trolling to lauding her for giving it her all.

"Raygun from Australia is my Olympic hero actually."

Raygun really hit the Kangaroo hop LMAO #BREAKING #Olympics #olympicbreaking pic.twitter.com/Ho0xzdT3bT

— michael✨ (@inluvin3days) August 9, 2024

On a scale of RayGun moves, how is our mental health today? pic.twitter.com/ltULvAAGxD

— Gaijin Mommy (@GaijinMommy) August 10, 2024

Obsessed with Raygun because I identify with the level of dorkiness she projects https://t.co/M2Y5MA2gL5 pic.twitter.com/xS4YVJMXRN

— 🕶sara🕶 (@minnesara) August 9, 2024

Been a while since I’ve made one of these, but today’s a special occasion!#Olympics #Breaking #Raygun https://t.co/lSK1O4555G pic.twitter.com/1HSx69X0N1

— Keelan (@I_am_da_BOM) August 10, 2024

me tryna get the duvet off when i’m too hot at night #olympics pic.twitter.com/NM4Fb2MEmX

— robyn (@robynjournalist) August 9, 2024

And Australia's top-ranking female breakdancer isn't bothered by the negative online comments.

Speaking with The Guardian, Raygun said: "So I wanted to move differently. I wanted to do something artistic and creative. Because how many chances can you get in a lifetime to do that on the international stage? All my moves are original. Creativity is really important to me. I go out there and I show my artistry."

She added: "Sometimes it speaks to the judges, and sometimes it doesn't. I do my thing, and it represents art. That is what it is about."

Raygun also acknowledged that she knew she couldn't necessarily compete athletically with the tricks, spins and strength moves of her younger competitors. 

"That's my strength, my creativity. I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves. I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way."

There's also been a lot of commentary on her choice to wear the Australian Olympic uniform instead of the usual breaking street style get-up. Simply put: it was a choice.

As she noted on her Instagram stories: "Looking forward to the same level of scrutiny on what the bboys wear tomorrow."

She noted in her post-performance interview: "I guess maybe being a bit older, I know how rare this opportunity is and I wanted to take the chance to wear the green and gold. I don't know why some of the other girls didn't want to wear their kit. It was a real moment of pride for me to wear the Australian uniform, I was particularly excited for this shirt to have the Indigenous print on the arms."

In an Instagram post following her performances, Raygun shared a photo of herself from the World DanceSport Federation, along with the quote: "Don't be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that's gonna take you."

Australia's male breaking hopeful, 16-year-old J-Attack (real name Jeff Dunne), put on a great show the next evening, but didn't take home a win. Oh, and in case you're wondering... like Raygun, he wore the full Australian Olympic tracksuit, rather than the more relaxed street clothing many other competitors chose. And no, nobody seems to be talking about it...

So while Raygun, or rather Dr Gunn, has a PhD in cultural studies. But right now at least, she is a cultural phenomenon herself. And that will be pretty darn cool for her to reflect on in her academic studies.

Feature Image: Getty. 

This article was originally published on August 10 and has since been updated.

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