Australian breaker Rachael Gunn, also known as B-Girl Raygun, ranks first in her sport’s latest world rankings, despite her Olympic performances sparking online ridicule.
On Tuesday, the breakdancing governing body released a statement to “provide clarity” on why Raygun is at the top of the rankings.
Raygun, a 37-year-old university lecturer from Sydney, failed to score any points at the Paris Olympics for his routines, which included a “kangaroo” dance.
The World DanceSport Federation said the ranking methodology is based on each athlete’s four best performances over the past 12 months, but excludes Olympic events such as the Paris Games and the qualifying tournaments in Shanghai and Budapest.
In addition, there were no ranking competitions between December 2023 and the Olympic Games so that athletes could focus on qualifying.
The federation clarified that the unusual circumstances of this year’s competition schedule meant that many athletes were ranked based on a single discipline. In Raygun’s case, her first place at the Oceania Continental Championships in October 2023 earned her 1,000 points.
Many within the breaking community criticize the rankings because they do not provide a clear picture of breaking as a sport and culture.
“As far as the WDSF is concerned, they don’t really have any real value with the breakers or the breaking community,” said Zack Slusser, vice president of Breaking for Gold USA. “And they also haven’t been able to organize events to their standards that would help create an accurate world ranking.”
According to Slusser, breakdance dancers competed in competitions organized by the WDSF, the Lausanne-based umbrella organization for competitive dance sport, only to collect enough points to qualify for the Olympic Games in Paris.
Breakers “had no incentive or desire to continue participating in the WDSF,” said Slusser. “Because they are not cultural events. They are not fun.”
In contrast, Slusser pointed to international breaking competitions like the Red Bull BC One Championships, which are “like festivals geared towards breakers. It’s about the vibe, it’s about the community.”
The WDSF said the rankings will change as more events take place, starting with the Breaking for Gold World Series in Shanghai in October.
