See the PROOF that there are plenty of Aussie breakdancers who deserved a spot at the Paris Olympics ahead of Raygun

Footage has emerged of Australian breakdancing talents competing in the world finals of their sport, putting Olympic star Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn in the spotlight.

Questions have been raised since Raygun stepped onto the podium at the Paris Olympics on Saturday [AEST] after her cringe-worthy performance failed to score a single point from the judges.

Many have wondered how the qualifying process works and how Raygun was able to get this far, while her skills were much lower than those of the other competitors in Paris.

Others have now questioned why Australia wasn’t better represented, when footage showed other Australians far more talented than Raygun. Yet Raygun was called the country’s “best female breakdancer” by chef de mission Anna Meares on Sunday.

The Red Bull BC One 2024 World Final will take place on December 7, 2024 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

In the lead up to the major event, three Australian cities have been selected to host ‘Cypher’ events that will serve as qualifiers for the World Finals.

The top 16 B-boys and eight B-girls from across the country will compete on August 25 at the Red Bull BC One Australia National Cypher at the Metro Theatre in Sydney.

The winner will be awarded the title of Australian Champion and the chance to represent their country at the 2024 World Finals.

Melbourne’s Wiremu Parangi was in attendance at the event in Victoria, held at the Container 8 club on Sunday, with locals also vying for a spot in the pre-selected wildcards for the Red Bull BC One National Cypher.

She filmed a few performances and posted: ‘These women are burning #Raygun. [Australian Olympics boss] Anna Meares. You are destroying our young Australian women.’

Australian Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn imitates a kangaroo or a T-Rex at the Paris Olympics in a performance that set the internet on fire

Australians have questioned why the young talents at the Red Bull BC One qualifiers were not present at the Olympic qualifying event in Sydney

Raygun was labelled a ‘scandal’ after the 36-year-old failed to score a single point in three fights in her Olympic debut.

She was widely panned for her routine, which included kangaroo and T-Rex poses and “The Sprinkler.” But her Australian Olympic teammates treated her like a cult hero when she performed a routine for them just before the closing ceremony on Monday.

And there was plenty of reason to believe that the teenagers who turned up at the Red Bull BC One 2024 Cypher in Melbourne were far more talented than Raygun.

“It was advertised as a breakdance challenge. Masses of grassroots kids showed up and ate this stuff for breakfast. #Raygun did not represent these kids,” Parangi posted.

However, one follower noted that any Olympic participant could have qualified as well.

Raygun won the official qualifying event for the Sydney Olympics, highlighting the divide in the sport in Australia

The same sentiment was shared in a video posted by Australian Indigenous Outreach Projects, featuring Scarlett Frances, aka B-Girl Scar, who won this year’s IOP title.

Frances is a talented dancer in multiple disciplines. She is one of the dancers for NBL club South-East Melbourne Phoenix and has posted several breathtaking videos of her breakdancing talent.

“Why didn’t Scar go to the Olympics?” one viewer asked.

“Infinitely better than anything I saw at this year’s Olympics,” added another.

Frances was very nice about the selection process and was happy that her sport was represented.

“So nice to see breaking making its Olympic debut this weekend,” she wrote.

She also added a photo of the podium winners, saying, “Celebrity, these absolutely incredible women, this is what we want to go viral, all of them.”

Scarlett Frances, also known as B-Girl Scar, is the Australian Indigenous Outreach Projects breakdance champion

Many have wondered why Frances, a talented freelance dancer in Melbourne who performs at SE Melbourne NBL competitions, was not considered for the Paris Olympics.

The inaugural WDSF Oceania Breaking Championships were held at Sydney Town Hall on October 28 and were open to all competitors from the Pacific region.

Raygun won gold in the B-Girls category.

‘She [Raygun] legitimately qualified. Maybe all these ‘good breakers’ should have participated and this wouldn’t have been an issue,’ they posted.

Others pointed to the gulf between Raygun and other Sydney breakers and the grassroots talent who did not compete in the WDSF Oceania Breaking Championships, instead competing in the Red Bull World Final.

“It was advertised as a breakdance challenge. Masses of grassroots kids showed up and ate this stuff for breakfast. #Raygun did not represent these kids,” Parangi posted.

“This raises serious questions about how she was selected as the winner of Oz to qualify and apparently was the winner in previous years,” added another.

‘AOC should have done a better selection process and reached out to the talent. That clearly didn’t happen.’

‘That’s world class. The other [Raygun] “It was like walking on Legos on the floor,” posted another.

Sunny Choi, also known as B-Girl Sunny, from the United States, competes in the B-girl Red Bull BC One World Final

The Red Bull BC One World Final and the Battle of the Year tournaments are held in higher regard by participants than the Olympic Games

The Red Bull BC One and the Battle of the Year both fall outside the official governance of the World DanceSport Federation, but are considered more credible within the breakdance community.

The Red Bull BC One World Final was first held in 2004, while the global breakdance tournament Battle of the Year has been running since 1990.

The World DanceSport Federation, better known for overseeing ballroom dancing, only took over control of the Olympic Games in 2018, when the sport made its first appearance at the Youth Olympics.

‘The Red Bull BC One should have had some influence on the participants of this event [at the Olympics]’, posted one viewer.

“For someone who studied the ‘cultural politics of breaking,’ she made a fool of herself and the art form of breaking. She definitely shouldn’t have been in that group of dancers.”

“I love Anna Meares but she’s wrong,” posted another follower.

“That’s why they have Olympic qualifying times. So people don’t embarrass their country. If Raygun is the best we have, then we shouldn’t be represented.”

Yes, another agreed, posting: ‘Olympics really missed out on representing the culture. Breaking is one of the most incredible/unique art forms.

‘Olympics made a sideshow of it, a poor representation of Breaking. Hopefully they get another chance, anyone who has seen Red Bull fight knows it’s surreal to watch.’