PhD to Paris: How B-Girl Raygun is taking her love for breaking global
Dr Rachael Gunn, known in breaking as Raygun, is proof that age is just a number.
Surrounded by mostly younger peers all looking to achieve the same thing, the 36-year-old Australian will be hoping her PhD in the sport's culture could give her an edge at Paris 2024.
She completed her thesis on ‘the intersection of gender in Sydney’s breaking scene’, while putting the work in to develop her own skills.
Seven years on, the sport will debut at the Olympic Games and Raygun is at the heart of it, which will see her swap lecture halls or the Place de la Concorde this summer.
“People certainly think it’s cool and interesting but it’s also really different to the classic academy path,” she told Reuters.
“So you do get a few different reactions depending on which department or faculty people are from - by and large, the response has been really positive.”
B-Girl Raygun competes at the 2023 Oceania Breaking Championships.
And that positivity extends to breaking in general, which Raygun believes can have a significant impact on the lives of participants.
For many, it is more than just a sport.
“Breaking has such a positive force and impact on people’s lives that do it,” she continued.
“They get fit, they get a creative outlet and become part of this community.
“The platform that the Olympics gives us to inspire new generations of people is positive.”