Olympic star Raygun tipped for major career move after sport has been dropped for LA 2028 games
Breakdancing sensation Raygun has been tipped for a huge career change after her viral appearance at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The Australian took to the stage on Friday, competing in the debut of breakdancing at the games, where contestants compete in head-to-head battles in a competition over two days.
Every battle has three rounds, with breakers being given one minute each to perform, per round.
It's a best of three format, which goes until the two best breakers face off in the gold medal match - but it was Raygun who stole all the headlines during the qualifiers.
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The 36-year-old's Olympic performance left viewers scratching their heads, with the clip of her moves going viral on social media since then.
Real name Rachael Gunn, the breaker's full-time job is as a is a creative researcher at Sydney's Macquarie University, specialising in 'the cultural politics of breakdancing'.
With that kind of background, you may be expecting a stellar performance but unfortunately, she managed to score zero in each of her three rounds, before being knocked out.
As Australia's top-ranked B-girl (female breaker) in 2020 and 2021, it came as a surprise to those who are fans of the sport, but casual viewers made her the subject of cruel online memes.
Her odd looking moves impressed MGbility (real name Martin Gilian), who said that he was a fan of her 'originality'.
"The breaking and hip hop community definitely stands behind her. She was just trying to bring something new, something original and something that represents her country," he told News Corp.
But the doctorate-holder looks destined for career change, especially since break-dancing will not feature at the 2028 games in Los Angeles.
The decision was made prior to the event taking place this summer, but Gunn has been tipped to capitalise on her wave of fame, as rumours have swirled about her inclusion in an iconic TV show.
Apparently, Raygun has been slated to appear on Dancing With The Stars, as oddsmakers Crypto Sports Betting have put her on 6/4 odds to feature on the Australian version's next season of the show.
As well as this, her odds of appearing on Australia's I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out Here currently sit at 4/1, while the possibility of her own reality TV show is currently 9/1.
Landing a cameo role sits at 7/1 following her iconic Olympic performance, a music video appearance is currently 12/1 and making it into Team Australia for the 2028 Olympics is currently at 33/1.
I guess time will tell, but if you see her on a screen sometime soon, don't be too shocked.
Speaking before her performance but after it was announced that breakdancing would not be an event at the next Olympics, Gunn said: "It was disappointing it was decided that it wouldn’t be in LA, particularly before we even had a chance to show it,
"That was possibly a little premature. I wonder if they’re kicking themselves now?"
She continued: "What is an Olympic sport? What are the similarities between dressage and artistic swimming and the 100m sprint and the pentathlon?
"Breaking is clearly athletic, it clearly requires a whole level of dedication across a number of different aspects. It’s really bringing a new level of excitement."
Not everyone has been negative about her showing though, as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gave her credit for giving it her all.
Joshua Nair