A US Olympic breaker who danced in Paris has declared the Raygun storm had a positive impact on breaking and is confident the sport will remain in the mainstream consciousness despite the fact it won’t feature at the Los Angeles 2028 Games.
Reflecting on the avalanche of ridicule and vicious criticism directed at Rachael Gunn following her performance at the Paris Games, Texas-born breaker Jeffrey “B-Boy Jeffro” Louis also said he hoped the university lecturer from Sydney was coping in the wake of the blowback and admitted “the world can be cruel”.
In three Olympic battles that yielded no wins and zero points, Gunn almost single-handedly turned breaking into a sport that was suddenly being talked about by millions of people worldwide.
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Her routines, in which she pulled off dance moves such as the hopping kangaroo and the sprinkler while decked out in a Team Australia tracksuit, triggered a barrage of memes, sparked relentless jeering in mainstream media and even saw Jimmy Fallon’s The Tonight Show mock the Olympian with a skit that went viral.
While many people were laughing, many were also fuming, including the tens of thousands who signed a petition calling for “immediate accountability and transparency”.
Australian Olympic breaker Rachael Gunn in action in Paris. AP
Two months after representing Team USA in Paris as breaking made its Olympic debut, Louis has touched down in Sydney for a panel discussion and workshop aimed at promoting the sport.
“Honestly, I think almost all publicity is good publicity,” Louis told Wide World of Sports, reflecting on the astonishing reaction to Gunn’s Olympic campaign.
“And I feel like a lot of people came and found breaking through the Raygun story and scenario. We wouldn’t be having this conversation [the interview with WWOS] if it wasn’t for Raygun. So it opened doors to a lot of people … A lot of people wouldn’t know about breaking. Who’s the top breakers? What are the styles like? What is the judging system? It brought a lot of interest into breaking.
“If breaking went perfectly [at the Olympics], if the event ran perfectly, with nothing bad or good happening, then breaking wouldn’t have gotten this light. So this is an opportunity, ultimately.”
US Olympic breaker Jeffrey “Jeffro” Louis pulling off moves at Sydney Harbour. Supplied
Gunn’s total of Instagram followers has sky-rocketed from about 35,000 pre-Games to more than 200,000 post-Olympics, but the 37-year-old has largely been staying out of the spotlight.
Since the Paris Games, her Instagram followers have been served up little more than an emotional video message and a post about a getaway with Richard Branson, the English business magnate, while she’s virtually only given one interview, to Network 10’s The Project.
“I honestly don’t see anything wrong with her performance,” Louis said.
“Seeing the kangaroo [hopping], knowing Australia, that’s kind of what I took from it. I was like, [she’s] Australian, kangaroo.
“But I didn’t really think much of it. I was just watching it from a face value thing; I wasn’t really diving into too deep.
“I just think everybody has the right to express themselves, and I think she should be happy that she got to the Olympic stage and represented her whole country because it’s a hard thing to do.
“I hope she’s all right. The world can be cruel.”
Breaking has been squeezed out of the Olympic program for Los Angeles 2028 and six sports have been added: baseball (men), softball (women), T20 cricket, lacrosse, flag football and squash.
“I would love to see breaking in Brisbane in 2032,” Louis said.
“Breaking is so versatile. As breakers we adapt, we are innovative and we find ways to stay in the loop.
“I think art is going to be our biggest medium in how to stay relevant. It’s not just the skillset and the athleticism; I think we’re able to be in modelling, music videos, we have our own competition … Anywhere you look you see designs, you see a poster, you see a music video. But now it’s going to be elevated because now with the Olympic spotlight on us we can be the main act.”
Catch US Olympic breaker Jeffrey “B-Boy Jeffro” Louis at a panel discussion and workshop at SXSW Sydney’s USA House from 3pm on Thursday, October 17!