Australia’s biggest star of the Summer Olympics, breakdancer Rachael Gunn, sure is putting the “no press is bad press” cliché to the ultimate test, but she’s revealed that all the negativity that’s come her way has taken its toll.
Nobody would’ve known who the 36-year-old academic/Olympian was if not for her appearance as a b-girl in Paris, where she stunned the world with her breaking routines. And by “stunned” I mean people were stunned as to how she got into the Summer Games in the first place.
In her first real public comments on her Olympic experience, the breakdancing artist known as Raygun acknowledged all the positive support she’s received, yet couldn’t deny the darker side of all the viral attention. That’s included conspiracy theories that Raygun helped rig the qualification process to shut out superior b-girls from the Olympics. There’s even a Change.org petition signed by over 56,000 people as of now in a mass call for accountability.
“I didn’t realize that that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating. While I went out there and I had fun, I did take it very seriously.
I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly. […] In regards to the allegations and misinformation floating around, I’d like to ask everyone to refer to the recent statement made by the [Australian Olympic Committee].”
Raygun cited various other sources to dismiss any notion that the qualifying process to get her into the Summer Games was rigged, and explained also how there aren’t any actual points in breakdancing. Thus, all the reports of her scoring “zero” on all her routines in Paris are apparently off-base. I tell ya, trying to dig into the nitty gritty of Raygun’s Olympic story is an exhausting exercise.
Let’s take Raygun’s head-to-head battle with eventual silver medalist Dominika Banevič as an example of how breaking is actually assessed at the Olympics. The judges give a binary either-or vote for the b-girls across two rounds. All nine of the judges voted for Banevič in both rounds, for a final vote tally of 18-0. That counts as a “score of zero” to me. Unless my vision is fuzzy, the same 18-0 result held true for Raygun’s other two matchups.
The contention that there aren’t “points” in breaking may technically be true. Feels like spin-doctor semantics from the doctorate degree holder more than anything else.
Some of the conspiracy theory fodder for Raygun rigging her way into the Olympics comes from a widely shared video of her duel with a b-girl compatriot prior to the Summer Games.
People who defend "Raygun" being in the Olympics say "She qualified, so she deserved to be there". But none of them watched her final qualifying battle against B-Girl Holy Molly.
You tell me, does Raygun look like the better dancer here? pic.twitter.com/3yr8E0uSwx
— Adam B. Coleman, Le Based Black (@wrong_speak) August 14, 2024
I can’t really tell who’s better, to be honest.
A massive thread is out there making the rounds, the most relevant posts within which I’ll share here to give you an idea of the latest Raygun discourse:
A https://t.co/ojrdUkoLgl petition, signed by thousands, claims that Raygun set up her own governing body for breakdancing to control the selection process and sideline other qualified dancers.
Critics are calling for a full investigation. 👀 pic.twitter.com/gtC0a738U2
— Kicks (@kicks) August 15, 2024
Anna Meares, the president of the Australian Olympic Committee, is also under fire. Petitioners accuse both Meares and Raygun of ‘gaslighting the public’ and undermining genuine athletes’ efforts.
The demand for transparency in the Olympic selection process is louder than ever. pic.twitter.com/iRYbrnp62u
— Kicks (@kicks) August 15, 2024
As the controversy unfolds, the breakdancing community is divided. Some support Raygun’s emphasis on artistry, while others argue that the selection process must be fair and transparent to all athletes, regardless of style. pic.twitter.com/JiPJCKWPiV
— Kicks (@kicks) August 15, 2024
The ball is now in the court of the Australian Olympic Committee and the Prime Minister. How they respond could shape the future of breakdancing in Australia and beyond. 👀 pic.twitter.com/INBPWJ7M5u
— Kicks (@kicks) August 15, 2024
