With two live DJs, competitors engaged in three judged battles, which involved two 60-second routines each, before the elimination round and then medals.
But with competition stretching five and a half hours even Snoop, the unofficial games mascot, had seen enough and made his departure midway through the competition.
An Olympic refugee team breaker, Manizha Talash, who was born in Afghanistan before fleeing due to the Taliban, made an early political statement by unveiling a cape during her round with the words “Free Afghan Women” and was applauded by her Dutch rival India Sardjoe.
Gunn’s first battle was against American Logistx but the Australian was no match for her international adversaries, unable to win a point in any of her three contests, including against 16-year-old French B-girl Syssy.
A university lecturer with a PhD in cultural studies, the 36-year-old said she knew she couldn’t compete athletically with their tricks and spins and strength moves so tried to be more creative.
”What I wanted to do was come out here and do something new and different and creative – that’s my strength, my creativity,” said Gunn.
”I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get that in a lifetime to do that on an international stage.
”I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.”
Gunn was asked whether breaking deserved to be an Olympic sport but responded that it filled the criteria.
”What is an Olympic sport? It’s so broad here ... what are the similarities between dressage and artistic swimming and the 100m sprint and the pentathlon?” she said.
”Breaking is clearly athletic and it clearly requires a whole level of dedication across a number of different aspects so I feel like it meets that criteria. And it’s really bringing a new level of excitement.”
Japanese b-girl Ami Yuasa won gold, topping all three rounds in a gold medal battle against Nicka (Dominika Banevic) from Lithuania.
”Breaking is my expression,” Yuasa said, “[an] expression, an art, but I want to say that breaking also could be part of sports.”
While the athletes will compete for medals in Paris, the winners could become obscure trivia questions, with Los Angeles not including it in the programme for 2028 and Brisbane highly unlikely.
The Oceania champion said it was disappointing the American Olympic organisers had snubbed it, given the roots of breaking were in that country.
”It was disappointing that it was decided before we’d even had a chance to show it so I think that was possibly a little premature,” she said.
”I wonder if they’re kicking themselves now, particularly because they’ve got some great American breakers who could totally be on the podium.
”But it’s not the end for breaking, the breaking culture is so strong.”
Australia’s 16-year-old B-boy Jeff Dunne, known as “J Attack”, will line up in the male competition on Saturday.
