Australian Break Dancer Rachael Gunn Wins Over the Internet at 2024 Paris Olympics with ‘Kangaroo’ Moves
As breaking (also known as breakdancing) makes its Olympic debut, Australian break dancer Rachael Gunn has become a viral sensation. At the women’s b-girl competition on August 9, 2024, Gunn, 36, captured global attention with her distinctive moves, despite facing younger competitors from Team USA, France, and Lithuania.
Rachael Gunn’s performance at the Paris Olympics garnered widespread praise and humor online. One Twitter user remarked, “I could live all my life and never come up with anything as funny as Rachael Gunn, the 36-year-old Australian Olympic breakdancer,” alongside a photo of Gunn in her gold and green Australian tracksuit. The tweet received over 50,000 likes.
Another user compared her performance to Usain Bolt’s legendary 100m sprint in Beijing, joking, “Honestly, when Rachael Gunn broke out her Kangaroo move, the competition was over! Give her the #breakdancing gold 🥇.”
Though her routine didn’t match the medal-winning moves of younger competitors like Logistx from Team USA, Syssy from France, and Nicka from Lithuania, Gunn’s impact extended beyond the dance floor. Social media users humorously compared her moves to everyday struggles, with one saying they resembled “me trying to get the duvet off when I’m too hot at night,” and another likening them to “what my nephew does after telling us to ‘watch this.’”
The Round Robin competition on Friday featured 16 b-girls and b-boys battling one-on-one to impress a panel of judges. According to the Olympics’ official site, competitors used a mix of power moves, including windmills and freezes, adapting their style to the DJ’s beats to win the judges’ votes.
Despite not advancing past the Round Robin against rivals Logistx, Syssy, and Nicka, Rachael Gunn’s journey is far from over. A university professor in Australia and former jazz and ballroom dancer, Gunn combines her passion for breaking with academia. At Macquarie University in Sydney, she lectures on “the cultural politics of breaking.”
In an Instagram video, Gunn expressed her gratitude: “It is such an honor and a privilege to be one of sixteen women competing in breaking’s Olympic debut. I hope this inspires a new generation of breakers.”
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