The 2024 Paris Olympics was memorable for several reasons. From holding the Opening Ceremony outside of a stadium for the first time in Olympic history to watching Simone Biles complete her redemption arc, things were titular for the fans. And yet, amidst all the flair, Australian breakdancing star Rachael “Raygun” Gunn turned heads with her performance. While her time on the grandest stage wouldn’t go down as one of the best moments in sporting history, it seems like Raygun has her fans standing firm in her corner.

Just weeks ago, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) named Gunn the top star on the list despite the fiasco that went down in Paris earlier this year. And now, an article by 3AW from October 15 reports that a homemade statue of Raygun has been erected in the suburbs of Northcote, Melbourne. The statue has been set up in a resident’s backyard and one of the folks over at 3AW remarked, “That is awesome,” genuinely moved by the tribute that the Olympian received from her fellow Australians.

The life-sized sculpture depicts Rachael in the signature “kangaroo” pose that made her a viral name across the globe months ago. It now greets passersby from the nature strip and 3AW host Ross Stevenson was amused. “That is outstanding,” Stevenson said. “Look at the balance they’ve managed to achieve there with that statue.” The news host was enthralled by how the creator managed to achieve something quite so incredible. However, considering the achievement Raygun achieved recently, such a tribute shouldn’t come as a surprise.

Gunn’s breaking skills evoked a flurry of sneers from all over the world. Viewers couldn’t hold back their laughter as they watched the breakdancing PhD student trying her best to keep her country in the race for gold. However, despite all the jeers, it looks like the people in Australia couldn’t be happier to have themselves represented on the Olympic stage by anyone else other than Gunn. But will this love be enough to redeem her of the digs that came her way in recent months?

Breakdancing celebrity gets some respite despite Olympic fiasco

The mayhem that ensued after the Paris Games was unprecedented, even for Gunn. Failing to bag even one point in the City of Love, the media went berserk and the fans didn’t allow her a moment’s peace. Recounting the frenzy she had to endure, Raygun told The Project, “I didn’t understand the scale of it.” She also acknowledged that the whole experience was nerve-wracking for her. “I was quite nervous being out in public because I just didn’t know what was safe, if anyone was going to recognize me, how they were going to respond to seeing me,” she elaborated further on how she has been spending her days.

However, despite everything, her performance at last year’s Oceania Continental Championships was what prompted her latest triumph in WDSF’s global rankings. “Consequently, by the end of the Olympic Games, many of the competition results included in the ranking had expired, leading to the current situation where many athletes have only one competition result contributing to their ranking,” the official statement from WDSF cleared the air as to why Gunn was named the top breakdancer in the world. Do you agree with the breakdancing apex body’s decision? Tell us your take on the matter in the comments below!