The Paris Olympics saw breakdancing as one of the main competitions. This brought the biggest viral moment of the event when an Australian breakdancer named Raygun performed and received zero points for all her dances. Since then, she has become a meme, and now, Jimmy Fallon has targeted her.
Here is what Jimmy Fallon did after Raygun caught the world’s attention at the Paris Olympics.
What Happened With Raygun In The Olympics?
Raygun, real name Rachael Gunn, is a 36-year-olf college professor who was chosen to compete in the breakdancing competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics. This was the first time the Olympics recognized breakdancing as a competition. Some dancers were magnificent, combining acrobatics with dance, resulting in great performances.
Then, there was Raygun. Her performance was awkward and a bit strange, but it also wasn’t what the judges were looking for. The judges awarded her zero points for her routine. She lost her three round-robin battles by a combined score of 54-0.
Despite the shutout and the fact that Raygun became an Internet meme instead of a medal winner, there is one thing to note about her. No one is talking about the other breakdancers, not even those who won gold medals. Everyone is talking about Raygun, which means she might have been the biggest winner in the event.
When people began mocking her online, Raygun came to her own defense. She said that what she brought to her performance was “creativity.” “I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best — their power moves,” Gunn said (via ESPN). “What I bring is creativity.”
“All of my moves are original,” she said. “I do my thing, and it represents art. That is what it is about.” Gunn holds a Ph.D. in cultural studies, and she studies ” “the cultural politics of breaking.”
Sergey Nifontov, general secretary of the World DanceSport Federation, said they had offered Raygun “support of our safe-guarding officer” for any mental health concerns following online bullying (via The AP).
Jimmy Fallon Mocks Olympic Breakdancer Raygun
It should be no surprise that Raygun would become a target of late-night television hosts and comedians. Jimmy Fallon was one of the first to target the new worldwide phenomenon.
Jimmy Fallon was doing his intro standup act before the show, and he mentioned Raygun and the Olympics. He then showed a clip of the performance, which garnered plenty of laughs. However, Fallon then took it up a step when comedian Rachel Dratch came onstage, dressed just like Raygun.
Rachel then performed some of the same strange, slow dance moves, including the kangaroo hop and sprinkler. The audience clearly loved it, and Rachel was the perfect person to imitate Raygun in the sketch.
While it might seem cruel to make jokes of the moment, many fans feel that this was what Raygun was hoping for when she did what might be a performance art piece at the Olympics.
What are your thoughts on the Jimmy Fallon sketch about Raygun? What are your thoughts on Raygun’s original Olympics performance? Do you think it was a serious competition, or was she trying to get people talking? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.
Shawn S. Lealos has been a freelance writer for over 25 years and is a voting member of the Oklahoma Film Critics Circle. He is also a published author with a book about the Stephen King Dollar Baby Filmmakers.