The (streamable) 2024 Summer Olympic Games have been quite eventful, spawning truly memorable moments that’ll likely stick with sports aficionados for some time. From the heroics of Simone Biles and the U.S. Women’s Gymnastics team to the victory of Stephen Nedoroscik (a.k.a. the viral, Clark Kent-like pommel horse guy), there’s been a lot to take note of. Amid all of that, one also has to mention the performance of Australian Olympian Rachel “Raygun” Gunn, who represented her country in the breaking events (which could be streamed). The Internet can’t seem to get enough of her, and that buzz has translated to some great reactions across social media.
It would be an understatement to say that “Raygun” has made an impression amid this year’s games. The 36-year-old professor and breakdancer made history, as she took part in the first-ever breakdancing competition to ever be featured in the Olympics. She competed on August 9th and put on an electric performance, though she ultimately lost 0-2 to French Olympian Sya Dembélé. Nevertheless, many were still taken with her efforts this past Friday. One X user shared a clip and offered the dancer some praise:
Give Raygun the gold right now #breakdancing pic.twitter.com/bMtAWEh3xoAugust 9, 2024
A variety of clips have made their way to the web, each one showing off a different facet of Rachel Gunn’s performance. Another fan on X managed to sum up the constant flow of clips in the following way:
There's a breakdancing competition in the olympics and Australia sent a 36 year old dancer named Raygun, and every clip is more incredible than the last.
What’s, of course, the biggest honor of competing in the Olympics is the chance to represent your country. There’s definitely a lot of pride that an athlete can feel knowing that they’re repping their respective nation for their fellow countryman. Of course, they’re actions can also make someone feel proud as well. And, when it comes to Raygun, it would seem that it least one fellow Aussie is in their feelings over the breakdancer’s performance:
Can we PLEASE get Raygun as our flag bearer for the Closing Ceremony. I have never been prouder to be Australian #BreakingForGold #Olympics pic.twitter.com/o605QIxDAdAugust 9, 2024
That excitement over the breaking veteran’s showing at the Olympics seems to be quite infectious. And the performance from the Australian scholar doesn’t seem to be all that fans are taking note of. They also appear to appreciate the journey that Rachel Gunn had even leading up to her competition. One would get that impression from @medicinexthings’ post:
Insane respect, got an all expenses paid trip to Paris plus all the free gear and is forever an Olympian. She cooked hard here I’m afraid.
Of course, people do still have their share of jokes, and those are admittedly easy to formulate, considering some of the wild positions that Raygun was in while attempting to win a medal. One user dropped a humorous analogy using one particular of the routine, which has really been making the rounds online:
6 year olds after saying “watch this” pic.twitter.com/hl2QiwHfXPAugust 9, 2024
Those who enjoyed watching the breaking competitions this year may be disappointed to hear that the sport has already been omitted from the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, as noted by Fox Sports. Despite that, it could be argued that with this one year alone, Rachel Gunn and her fellow breakdancers managed to make a serious impression. So, whether or not breaking ever returns to the games, it can be said that Gunn and her fellow Olympians came in hot in 2024.
With the festivities winding down, know that you can stream the 2024 Summer Olympics closing ceremony, which will be held on August 11, using a Peacock subscription. It'll also air on NBC, starting at 3 p.m. ET/12 p.m. PT.
