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Raygun officially ranked world No. 1 female breakdancer

September 11, 2024

The Australian dancer topped the World DanceSport Federation's female ranking thanks to a single win last year. But critics have said the body does not have significant standing in the breaking scene.

https://p.dw.com/p/4kVPS
Raygun competing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
Raygun represented Australia at the 2024 Paris Olympic GamesImage: DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAP/IMAGO

Australian Olympian Rachael "Raygun" Gunn has been named as the world's top female breakdancer by the World DanceSport Federation.

The 37-year-old university lecturer made global headlines for her unorthodox performance at the Paris Olympic games as well as the controversy surrounding her qualification for the event.

On Wednesday, the WDSF said its rankings were based on dancers' top four performances within the past 12 months — but not the Paris Games or the Olympic qualifier events in Shanghai and Budapest. 

With fewer events held in the lead-up to the Olympics in order to allow athletes to focus on qualification, the WDSF said "many athletes have only one competition result contributing to their ranking."

Raygun topped the ranking with 1,000 points thanks for her single win at the Oceania Continental Championship last October.

How did other breakdancers fare?

In the women's rankings, Japanese breakdancer Riko Tsuhako also had 1,000 points thanks to her win at the Gold World Series in Hong Kong in December 2023.

However, she was ranked second because the WDSF said Raygun's event carried more weight.

None of the breakers who won medals at the Olympics featured in the WDSF rankings for men or women.

This could soon change.

"The WDSF confirms that rankings will change after the 12-month points expire, and when the next WDSF Breaking for Gold World Series is held in Shanghai in October 2024," the federation said.

Raygun competing at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games
Raygun attracted criticism over her unorthodox dance movesImage: DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAP/IMAGO

World DanceSport Federation in the spotlight

The WDSF ranking has been criticized for not giving a clear picture of breaking.

"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.

"And they also haven't been able to organize events by their measure that would contribute to creating an accurate world ranking."

Slusser told the Associated Press that breakers only performed at WDSF events in order to qualify for the Olympics and "had no incentive, no desire to even continue participating with the WDSF after that."

"They're not cultural events. They are not enjoyable," he said instead pointing to other international breaking competitions like the Red Bull BC One championships.

zc/kb (AFP, AP)