CBS News
Despite Raygun’s controversial Olympic breakdancing performance, she’s ranked as the No. 1 woman in the sport
Despite her controversial performance at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics, Australian breaker Rachael Gunn, known as Raygun, has been ranked as the number one female breakdancer globally by The World DanceSport Federation. Gunn, 37, finished the Olympic breaking event with a total score of zero.
Her performance, which featured unconventional moves including a kangaroo hop, sparked questions about how she had qualified for the Olympics in the first place.
Getty
In response to inquiries about the ranking, the WDSF said its system did not include the Olympic competition or qualifiers.
“Due the unique circumstances regarding ranking events this year, it is not unusual in the period immediately following the Olympic Games for some athletes to be ranked according to a single event,” the WDSF said in a statement.
It said Gunn had placed first at the Oceania Continental Championships in October 2023.
“Until WDSF ranking events recommence later this year, therefore, the world rankings as they currently stand should be interpreted in conjunction with results from recent global Breaking competitions for a more accurate reflection of the global competitive landscape,” the WDSF added.
“I really appreciate the positivity, and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy in your lives,” Gunn said in a statement posted on social media as she faced a barrage of criticism and online abuse after her appearance at the Olympics. “That’s what I hoped. I didn’t realize that would open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating.”
“I went out there and I had fun,” she said. “I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics, and I gave my all.”
Breaking, which made its debut as an Olympic event at the Paris Games, is not on the program for the next Summer Olympics, scheduled for 2028 in Los Angeles, California.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
Watch CBS News
Be the first to know
Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting.
CBS News
Yellowstone hiker burned when she falls into scalding water near Old Faithful, park officials say
Yellowstone National Park, Wyo. — A New Hampshire woman suffered severe burns on her leg after hiking off-trail in Yellowstone National Park and falling into scalding water in a thermal area near the Old Faithful geyser, park officials said.
The 60-year-old woman from Windsor, New Hampshire, along with her husband and their leashed dog were walking off a designated trail near the Mallard Lake Trailhead on Monday afternoon when she broke through a thin crust over the water and suffered second- and third-degree burns to her lower leg, park officials said. Her husband and the dog weren’t injured.
The woman was flown to Eastern Idaho Regional Medical Center in Idaho Falls, Idaho for treatment.
National Park Service / Jacob W. Frank
Park visitors are reminded to stay on boardwalks and trails in hydrothermal areas and exercise extreme caution. The ground in those areas is fragile and thin and there’s scalding water just below the surface, park officials said.
Pets are allowed in limited, developed areas of Yellowstone park but are prohibited on boardwalks, hiking trails, in the backcountry and in thermal areas.
The incident is under investigation. The woman’s name wasn’t made public.
This is the first known thermal injury in Yellowstone in 2024, park officials said in a statement. The park had recorded 3.5 million visitors through August this year.
Hot springs have injured and killed more people in Yellowstone National Park than any other natural feature, the National Park Service said. At least 22 people have died from hot spring-related injuries in and around the 3,471-square-mile national park since 1890, park officials have said.