Australian breaker Rachael “Raygun” Gunn holds the top spot in her sport’s latest world rankings despite Olympic performances that led to online ridicule and abuse.
On Tuesday, the sport’s governing body issued a statement to “provide clarity” on why Raygun tops the rankings.
Raygun, a 37-year-old university lecturer from Sydney, failed to score any points at the Paris Olympics in routines that included a “kangaroo” dance.
The World DanceSport Federation said the ranking methodology is based on each athlete’s top four performances within the past 12 months – but excludes Olympic events including the Paris Games and Olympic qualifier series events in Shanghai and Budapest.
Additionally, no ranking events were held between December 2023 and the Olympics – to allow athletes to focus on qualification.
In Raygun’s case, her first-place finish at the Oceania continental championships in October 2023 earned her 1,000 points.
Many within the breaking community have criticised the rankings for not giving a clear picture of breaking as a sport and as a culture.
“Speaking of the WDSF, they actually don’t have any real merit with the breakers or the breaking community,” said Zack Slusser, vice president of Breaking for Gold USA.
Breakers “had no incentive, no desire to even continue participating with the WDSF after that,” Slusser said.
The WDSF said rankings will change once more events occur, starting with the Breaking for Gold World Series in Shanghai in October.
Despite receiving criticism and abuse on social media for her Olympic performances, Australian breaker Rachael “Raygun” Gunn is currently ranked #1 in her sport.
The body that oversees the sport released a statement on Tuesday in an effort to “explain” why Raygun is ranked first.
In routines that featured a “kangaroo” dance, Raygun, a 37-year-old Sydney university lecturer, was unable to earn any points at the Olympics.
The Olympic events, such as the Paris Games and the Olympic qualifying series events in Shanghai and Budapest, are not included in the ranking methodology, according to the World DanceSport Federation, which is based on each athlete’s top four performances over the previous 12 months.
To further enable athletes to concentrate on qualification, there were no ranking events between December 2023 and the Olympics.
The federation made it clear that many athletes were ranked based on a single event because of the unique circumstances surrounding this year’s competition schedule. For Raygun, she received 1,000 points for placing first in the Oceania continental championships in October 2023.
Numerous members of the breaking community have criticized the rankings for failing to provide a comprehensive image of breaking as a culture and as a sport.
According to Zack Slusser, vice president of Breaking for Gold USA, “speaking of the WDSF, they actually don’t have any real merit with the breakers or the breaking community.”. Furthermore, by their own standards, they have not been able to plan any events that would help produce a reliable global ranking. “.
In order to accumulate enough points to be eligible for the Paris Olympics, breakers, according to Slusser, only competed in competitions hosted by the WDSF, the Lausanne-based organization that oversees competitive dance sports.
After that, Slusser claimed, Breakers “had no incentive, no desire to even continue participating with the WDSF.”. Since they’re not cultural events, that’s why. They aren’t fun. “.
Slusser countered that breaking competitions are similar to festivals tailored to breakers, citing the Red Bull BC One championships as an example of an international event. It’s all about the atmosphere and the community.
According to the WDSF, rankings will be adjusted after additional competitions, beginning in October with the Breaking for Gold World Series in Shanghai.
