Australian breakdancer ‘Raygun’ goes viral at Olympics and people have absolutely no idea what to think

It's safe to say there's been no shortage of memorable moments at this year's Olympic Games.

There was the controversial 5,000 metre race that saw Team GB athlete George Mills square up to French runner Hugo Hay. And who could forget the pole vaulter whose bulge crushed his medal hopes after it got caught on the bar?

Now, the latest moment to go viral at Paris 2024 has people at a loss for words.

The Olympic breakdancing event kicked off yesterday and one dancer's performance left social media rather divided (Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images)

Yesterday (9 August) saw the long-awaited Olympic debut of breakdancing, which sees contestants face off in head-to-head battles over a two-day competition.

Each battle consists of three rounds, or throw downs, with the breakers taking alternating one-minute turns to perform.

The breaker who wins the best-of-three advances until the final two dancers battle for gold.

And the performance of an Australian dancer called 'Raygun' in the qualifiers has left fans rather confused.

In a clip that has since gone viral on social media, the 36-year-old - real name Rachael Gunn - can be seen squirming on the dance floor in a pretty chaotic routine.

Gunn was Australia's top-ranked B-girl (female breaker) in 2020 and 2021and is a creative researcher at Sydney's Macquarie University specialising in 'the cultural politics of breakdancing'.

The video was taken from her throw down against France's Syssy (Sya Dembélé), 16, in the second of three qualifying matches.

The Australian ultimately scored no points against any of her rivals and was knocked out of the competition.

Raygun - real name Rachel Gunn - is a dancer and researcher specialising in the politics of breakdancing. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

And X users had a lot to say about Raygun's performance.

One person wrote: "How did she get qualified? That's the best Australia has? lol."

A second shared the viral clip alongside the caption: "My five year old niece after she says 'watch this'."

A third commented: "Never watched breaking before but I can already tell Raygun doesn't have a chance in this event."

But the response wasn't all negative, with many praising Gunn for her courage in competing.

One said: "Raygun from Australia is my Olympic hero actually," while another wrote: "Props to Raygun for having the guts to go out there."

And a third joked: "If Raygun isn't our flag bearer for the closing ceremony we've lost all sense of who we are as a nation."

But the dancer and academic doesn't seem to have let any of the hate get to her.

Speaking about her Olympic performance, she said: "All my moves are original. Creativity is really important to me. I go out there and I show my artistry.

"Sometimes it speaks to the judges, and sometimes it doesn’t. I do my thing, and it represents art. That is what it is about."

Gun added: “What I wanted to do was come out here and do something new and different and creative - that’s my strength, my creativity.

“I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get that in a lifetime to do that on an international stage.

“I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.”