Swimmer's recreation of Australian Olympic breakdancer's hilarious moves leaves viewers speechless

This year breakdancing was added to the lineup at the Olympics for the first time and while that made headlines, Australian breakdancer Rachael "Raygun" Gunn soon came under the spotlight with her moves that went viral. Although she didn't impress judges with her skills, the 36-year-old left the internet in splits after representing Australia at the breakdancing event at the Paris Olympics. A professor from Sydney, Gunn was trolled online for failing to secure even a single point at the French capital, as per The New York Post. But she managed to inspire Puerto Rican underwater dancer and swimmer Kristina Makushenko, who performed Gunn's moves underwater and garnered appreciation on social media.

Makushenko shared a video on TikTok (@kristimakush95) recreating Gunn's "hilarious" moves, and people were awestruck by her 30-second performance that left many of them "speechless." Makushenko complimented Gunn's "sprinkler," snake, and kangaroo impressions, which she dubbed as "signature moves." The video recreating a viral clip went on to garner more 832,000 views on the platform.

Viewers reacted to Makushenko's deep dive, grooving to Afrika Bambaataa & The Soulsonic Force's number "Planet Rock." "Ole girl literally did Raygun's whole routine underwater and in heels and made it look like something that should actually win a gold medal," praised @yobettarun. "Didn't think these could get any better. This is absolutely outstanding," @d.spyro added. "This reenactment was way cooler than the actual routine," @watcre pointed out.

The Australian breaker, whose qualification for the Olympics event was reportedly questioned, has not yet reacted to the swimmer's performance inspired by her. However, this is not the first time someone has tried to recreate her dance moves. Gunn has also been mocked on "The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon" while people back home were reportedly upset after her act, and a now-deleted petition on Change.org demanded accountability from her "for unethical conduct," as reported by CBS News.

Australian hip-hop pioneer artist Spice said, "I feel like it's just pushed our scene in Australia into the Dark Ages," while speaking to the BBC. Amid the intense scrutiny, the top-ranked B-girl and a PhD holder in the cultural politics of the sport spoke about the "hate" directed toward her in an Instagram video after losing round-robin battles with a score of 54-0. "I really appreciate the positivity, and I'm glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That's what I hoped. I didn't realize that would open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating," she said. The Australian Olympic Committee later issued a clarification that Gunn's selection for the Paris World sporting event was done through a "transparent and independent" process, per CBS News.

Reports have also surfaced claiming that Gunn insulated herself from the criticism and recently signed a deal with influencer marketing agency Born Bred Talent, as reported by The DailyMail. According to News Australia, the breaker, who has gained 199,000 followers on Instagram, may feature on Channel 10's show "I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out Of Here!" However, it is not yet clear whether she is going to continue competing in the newest Olympic sport.

You can follow Kristina Makushenko (@kristimakush95) on TikTok for more dance content.

You can follow Rachael Gunn (@raygun_aus) on Instagram to learn more about her life.