Australian Olympic breakdancer “Raygun” has been ridiculed, written off and now crowned No. 1 in the world, the sport’s governing body confirmed yesterday.
Rachael “Raygun” Gunn became something of a global laughing stock after her kangaroo-inspired routine failed to impress the judges at the Paris Olympics, where the sport of breaking made its debut.
The 37-year-old university lecturer from Sydney failed to score any points at the Olympics in routines that included a “kangaroo” dance.
Photo: AFP
Her moves were parodied on late-night talk shows, her unfashionable tracksuit was lampooned online and breaking aficionados around the world questioned how she had made the team.
However, Raygun got her revenge and the last laugh when the World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) named her the No. 1 female breakdancer in the world.
The rankings were based on the athlete’s four top performances within the past 12 months, the federation said.
However, with few ranking events held between December last year and the Olympics, “many athletes have only one competition result contributing to their ranking,” the WDSF said in a statement.
Gunn won the Oceania Continental Championship in that period, earning her 1,000 ranking points. Japanese B-girl Riko’s win at the Gold World Series in Hong Kong in December last year saw her also awarded 1,000 points, but the WDSF said Raygun’s event carried more weight, so awarded her the top ranking.
Raygun’s reign at the top could be short-lived, as the rankings would change after the 12-month points expire and the next WDSF Breaking for Gold World Series is held in Shanghai next month, the federation said.
Many within the breaking community have criticized the rankings for not giving a clear picture of breaking as a sport and as a culture.
“Speaking of the WDSF, they actually don’t have any real merit with the breakers or the breaking community,” Breaking for Gold USA vice president Zack Slusser said. “And they also haven’t been able to organize events by their measure that would contribute to creating an accurate world ranking.”
Breakers only performed in events organized by the WDSF to get enough points to qualify for the Paris Olympics, Slusser said.
However, they “had no incentive, no desire to even continue participating with the WDSF after that,” he said. “Because they’re not cultural events. They are not enjoyable.”
In contrast, international breaking competitions such as the Red Bull BC One championship “are like festivals that are geared to the breakers. It’s about the vibe, it’s about the community,” he said.
Additional reporting by AP
OFFENSE SHINES: First baseman Pan Chie-kai hit a solo homer in the fifth inning as all 10 batters Taiwan used contributed at least one hit toward their team total of 14 One day after their first shutout loss at the WBSC Premier12, Taiwan yesterday bounced back with a commanding 8-2 victory over the US, keeping their hopes for a spot in tomorrow’s final alive. The win in the Super Round marked Taiwan’s first triumph over the US at a top-tier international baseball tournament since 2003. Their previous win over the US was at the 2003 Baseball World Cup, with only one win in the previous 10 matchups since 1999. Yesterday’s game was tightly contested through the first six innings, with the margin never exceeding two runs. However, the tide turned in the top of
“Please love us. Please cheer us on. We have been working hard. Do not give up on us.” Taiwan captain Chen Chieh-hsien’s heartfelt plea echoed across the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 tournament after a historic victory. Rather than boasting, Chen was making an earnest appeal after leading Taiwan to a 4-0 victory over Japan to claim their first major international baseball title at the senior level. Chen’s decisive three-run homer in the fifth inning and his Premier12 leading .632 batting average secured him the Premier12’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) title. He was also named one of the tournament’s outstanding defensive players
WELL-AGED: Although the youngest team in the tournament, Taiwan featured several veteran stars, including Sunday’s home-run hero Chen Chieh-hsien “I will never forget today,” veteran Taiwanese pitcher Chen Kuan-yu said after Taiwan on Sunday night blanked Japan to secure their first ever gold in the World Baseball Softball Confederation’s (WBSC) Premier12 championship. Chen, who at 34 is the oldest member on the team, said Taiwan “made every difficult step to come to today’s victory. I will never forget today.” Taiwan made history when they won their first gold medal of the Premier12 tournament, beating Japan in a 4-0 shutout victory in the final at the Tokyo Dome. It was a jaw-dropping victory for many baseball commentators who went into the game with
Nikola Jokic on Saturday scored 34 points and grabbed 13 rebounds to spark the Denver Nuggets over the Los Angeles Lakers 127-102, continuing their dominance of the NBA rivalry, while Scotty Pippen Jr scored a career-best 30 points to lead the Memphis Grizzlies past the Chicago Bulls, 142-131. The Nuggets won for the 13th time in the past 14 contests against the Lakers, including ousting the Lakers in the playoffs the past two seasons. Serbian star Jokic failed to achieve his sixth consecutive triple-double, managing only eight assists, but his effort was plenty as Michael Porter Jr added 24 points and 11
RSS