Australian breakdancer Raygun could end up making the big bucks after gaining notoriety for her bizarre routine at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Rachel Gunn – whose b-girl name is Raygun – is the talk of the town after busting a few moves at the competition.
The dancer became an instant internet sensation after viewers watched her controversial performance, which featured kangaroo hopping, standing on her head, slithering like a snake and even rolling around on her shoulder.
Despite failing to impress the judges at the Games, which implemented breakdancing as an official sport for the first time in Olympic history – Gunn sure did capture the hearts of many people…for various reasons.
The 36-year-old is a Sydney University lecturer and has a PhD in breakdancing and dance culture.
Max Markson, a marketing and public relations expert, has opened up about the dancer’s newfound fame and said that she has the potential to “make millions”.
“Her reputation in Australia isn’t that great, but she is famous across the world,” he told Daily Mail. “I don’t think everyone else in other countries is conscious of how Australians feel about her.
“I think Australian marketers will be avoiding her for that reason, but there will be somebody in this country who will go for it,” he added.
Markson believes that Raygun will get “international offers” from big-name brands like Adidas or Puma, food businesses like McDonald’s or KFC, and electric cars like BYD.
He also thinks phone companies like Telstra, Optus, or Vodafone will be contacting her, adding: “There will be other international companies that want her as well.”
According to the expert, these brands may pay up to $500,000 AUD ($331,500 USD) for endorsement deals, meaning the Aussie star could easily make herself a millionaire.
“She has a PhD, she has a genuine background, so she will also get speaking engagements. She also has an appeal for kids,” he continued to explain. “People will also want her for TV, there will be a TV gig for her in the next six months.”
Gunn got no love from the judges as she lost all three round-robin battles 18-0, 18-0, 18-0 against the USA, France, and Lithuania.
One judge has since spoken out and explained why the breakdancing star scored a zero for her strange performance.
“I feel personally very sorry. The breaking and hip hop community definitely stands behind her,” Breakdancing judge MGbility, whose real name is Martin Gilian, told News Corp. “The breaking and hip hop community definitely supports her. She was attempting to bring something fresh, something original that represented her country.
“We stand by her. Our comparative judging system has five criteria. Her level was perhaps not as high as the other competitors, but that doesn’t mean she performed poorly. She did her best,” they added.
MGbility spoke up about how Gunn’s moves reflected her country, saying: “She was representing Australia and Oceania and did her best.
“She officially won the Oceania qualifier. If people are questioning how she made it to the Olympics, she qualified from her region,” they said. “Unfortunately for her, the other b-girls were stronger, which is why she didn’t receive any votes in her rounds.”
Not long after her moves were widely mocked across social media, Gunn responded to the criticism during a news conference with ESPN, explaining that she wanted to bring a unique style of dance to the competition.
“What I wanted to do was come out here and do something new and different and creative – that’s my strength, my creativity,” she said.
“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,” she added.