Olympic star Raygun hits back after becoming viral meme with breakdancing routine

It’s brand new at this year’s Olympics, and the breakdancing has sparked one of the biggest viral reactions of the entire games in Paris.

A star was born on Friday (August 9), when Australian star Raygun took to the stage to perform.

The 36-year-old, real name Rachael Gunn, didn’t manage to score a single point from the judges in the round-robin stage and left the competition after losing all three of her bouts.

One move in particular became a meme online, which saw her wiggle around on the floor.

Elsa/Getty Images

Ami Yuasa of Japan won the inaugural gold medal as the sport - professionally known as 'breaking' - made its debut at the Olympics, but it was undoubtedly Raygun who will be remembered from this year’s tournament in the sport.

Her part in the group stages made a big impact on social media. While it was mostly good natured, with people broadly supportive of someone living out an Olympic dream and getting there in the first place, many couldn’t resist poking a little fun at the routine itself.

Raygun hit back at her meme-status online after the event, reposting a message from the 'Breaking for Gold' account and quoting herself, saying: “Don't be afraid to be different. Go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that's gonna take you.”

Raygun works as a university lecturer with a PhD in dance, gender politics, and the dynamics between theoretical and practical methodologies.

Speaking about competing at the Olympics, she said it was “something that I never expected” after only picking up the sport in her mid-20s.

“All my moves are original,” Raygun said. "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.

“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 in a lifetime to do that on an international stage.”

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