- World DanceSport Federation justify why Raygun is No. 1
- Organisation explain exactly how their rankings work
- Raygun was lambasted for Olympic breakdancing routine
The World DanceSport Federation has explained why they have given Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn the world No.1 ranking, after her performances during the Paris Olympics sparked backlash.
Gunn, 36, became an overnight sensation for her comical routine at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which became the event’s most talked-about moment.
Her routine include kangaroo hops, sliding on the ground like a snake and an odd choice of wardrobe with Raygun shunning urban streetwear for an Aussie tracksuit.
Raygun failed to score a single competition point across three battles against Nicka, Sya ‘Syssy’ Dembele and Logan ‘Logistx’ Edra.
However, that hasn’t stopped the World DanceSport Federation from elevating Raygun to No.1 in the world in its latest rankings.
She was named the world’s best ‘b-girl’ in the September rankings, with Oympic medallists Ami ‘Ami’ Yuasa, Dominika ‘Nicka’ Banevic and Liu ‘671’ Qingyi shunned from the list.
The WDSF released a statement to explain how the rankings work, saying that ranking points are based on an athlete’s top four performances within the past 12 months.
They also noted that the recent Olympics did not offer ranking points ‘due to limited athlete quotas’.
The World DanceSport Federation has explained why they have listed Raygun at No.1 in their latest world rankings
The Aussie dancer received plenty of backlash for her performance at the Paris Olympics
‘We would like to take this opportunity to provide clarity on the ranking methodology and address the concerns raised,’ the WDSF statement began.
‘Furthermore, in alignment with the Olympic Qualification System, ranking events were intentionally not held between 31 December 2023 and the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
‘This strategic scheduling allowed athletes to focus solely on the last part of their Olympic qualification without the added pressure of additional ranking events.
‘Consequently, by the end of the Olympic Games, many of the competition results included in the ranking had expired, leading to the current situation where many athletes have only one competition result contributing to their ranking.
‘Due the unique circumstances regarding ranking events this year, it is not unusual in the period immediately following the Olympic Games for some athletes to be ranked according to a single event.’
The statement suggested that their rankings shouldn’t be held above the results from the recent Olympics.
Raygun has now returned to Australia and has been linked with a host of reality TV shows
Raygun’s Olympic performance didn’t impact her worldwide ranking
The Aussie breakdancer will fall off the current rankings when her points expire at the end of October.
‘The WDSF remains steadfast in its commitment to transparency and fairness in the competitive ranking process,’ the governing body said.
‘We trust that this explanation resolves any concerns regarding the methodology behind the current standings.’
Since her star rose with the rival performance, Raygun has been linked to reality television shows including Channel 10’s I’m a Celebrity and has rubbed shoulders with billionaire Richard Branson and 80s pop icon Boy George.
But in her only Australian interview since the Olympics, she told her supporters it might be awhile before she performs competitively again.
‘I don’t think I’ll be competing for a while. Not really wanting to be in the spotlight, breaking, competing,’ she said on The Project.
‘It’s been nice. It’s been a bit of a process to try and start dancing again. Like, that’s actually been tough. You know, it was my medicine, and then it turned into my source of stress.
‘So, I’m really happy that it gets to go back to being my medicine. I can kind of finally feel free again. I’m looking forward to breaking, but, no, I don’t think I’ll compete for a while.’
