The Big Lead

Raygun's New Lofty World Ranking in Breaking Doesn't Make Any Sense

By Joe Lago

Aug 9, 2024; Paris, FRANCE; RAYGUN (AUS) in the breaking B-Girls round robin competition during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images
Aug 9, 2024; Paris, FRANCE; RAYGUN (AUS) in the breaking B-Girls round robin competition during the Paris 2024 Olympic Summer Games at La Concorde. Mandatory Credit: Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images / Rob Schumacher-Imagn Images
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Maybe it wasn't the fault of Raygun (aka Rachael Gunn) to be allowed to make a total mockery of the Paris Olympics breaking competition. Perhaps the sport and its federation should shoulder some of the blame for letting such ridiculousness take place on the world's biggest sports stage.

There is definitely something wrong with the World DanceSport Federation when it comes to determining its world rankings. Because there's no reasonable explanation for having Raygun ranked as the No. 1 female breaker on the planet.

No, seriously. It's true.

On Monday, the WDSF released its new world rankings with the controversial Australian breaker — who scored zero points at the Olympics — at the top.

The outrageous news left people asking "WTF?" to the WDSF on social media. So the federation issued a statement to explain how Raygun could be ranked No. 1. Turns out, the qualifying event that Raygun won to qualify for the Olympics also rewarded her with 1,000 rankings points and lifted her into the top spot.

Points can only be earned at ranking events and expire after 52 weeks, and the rankings are based on an individual's top four performances at these events over the past year. The Paris Games were not a ranking event.

All three Olympic medalists had not competed in enough ranking events. So that's how Raygun's victory at the Oceania Continental Championships in October 2023 elevated her to No. 1 in the new rankings. However, she will lose those points this October when they expire.

Another big winner in all of this is FIFA, the governing body of world soccer. Its rankings are often ridiculed for being so off-the-mark and meaningless, but they're no longer the most nonsensical rankings in sports. So congrats, World DanceSport Federation!