Alongside getting ready to compete for Australia, the Sydney-based breaker has also juggled promoting her sport to an audience who still find themselves asking many questions about the newest addition to the Olympic schedule.

This juggling act came at a time when Rachael still hadn’t guaranteed her spot on the Olympic team, something she finally achieved at the Oceania Breaking Championships in Sydney in late 2023.

“There was pressure, definitely,” Rachel says.

“I was pretty visible already in the media. Since breaking was first confirmed as an Olympic sport back in 2020, I was doing a lot of media interviews, so I've always kind of been front and centre.

“I've been number one ranked the whole time I've been representing Australia at these various events, but am I going to be number one when it absolutely counts? I did feel that.

“The qualifying event was a grueling event, both physically and psychologically.  But, I got the result I wanted.”

In securing her Olympic berth, Rachael created history as the first ever Australian female breaker to qualify for an Olympics, and achieved her long-standing dream of becoming an Olympian.

It’s an achievement she admits might not fully hit her until she steps out in front of a packed house at the Place de la Concorde when qualifying begins in the B-Girl event.

“Some days I'm aware of it and I'm like, yeah, this is a thing,” she says.

“Other days I'm like that's maybe something that will come. Maybe when I step out on that stage, it will feel real.”

Creating history for Australia will also go alongside fighting for her sport’s Olympic survival, with breaking not included on the schedule for 2028 Los Angeles Games.

Rachael is hoping once people see how exciting and entertaining breaking is it could lead to either a change of mind by organisers in 2028 or a solid push for Brisbane in 2032 to include the sport on the program.

“It did surprise me that LA said no,” she says.

“The US is the birthplace of breaking, of hip hop, of many street dance styles.

“Breaking featured in the Closing Ceremony of the LA 1984 Olympic Games. I think breaking is absolutely going to go off in Paris.

“I've never met anyone that has seen breaking and not gone ‘Ah, wasn't that impressive, wasn't that cool?’ Once you see it, you're totally blown away. 

“It is so amazing and exciting to watch. I think it is going to attract a lot of audiences. I guess they had a different vision in mind for LA 28. But hey, Brisbane 2032? Sure. I've got another eight years to work on that.”

The 16 B-Girls athletes, from 12 different countries, take to the stage in a round robin and knockout phase, with the entire event decided in a short five-and-a-half-hour window.

The B Girls Breaking will be held at the Place de la Concorde on 10 August 12am (AEST).

Ben Waterworth