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Rachael Gunn has been defended from a host of abuse after the breakdancer was heavily ridiculed on social media for her scoreless display at the Paris Olympics.
Gunn, a 36-year-old Australian university lecturer known in breaking as b-girl Raygun, lost all three of her round-robin battles by a combined score of 54-0 as the so-called sport made its Olympic debut on Friday.
Despite earning respect for wearing full Australian kit for her performance and foregoing traditional break dancing attire, Gunn’s routine stood out for all the wrong reasons after she failed to impress the judges.
A segment of her dance in which she could be seen writhing around on the floor sparked a frenzy of ‘memes’ on social media, with one user saying she “set breakdancing back 40 years.”
The Aussie B-Girl Raygun dressed as a school PE teach complete with cap while everyone else is dressed in funky breaking outfits has sent me.
It looks like she’s giving her detention for inappropriate dress at school 🤣#Olympics pic.twitter.com/lWVU3myu6C
— Georgie Heath🎙️ (@GeorgieHeath27) August 9, 2024
But Anna Meares, Australia’s chef de mission, has hit back at critics, saying the abuse Gunn has received is not dissimilar to the misogyny that sportswomen routinely face.
“I love Rachael, and I think that what has occurred on social media with trolls and keyboard warriors, and taking those comments and giving them air time, has been really disappointing,” Meares, a former Olympic champion cyclist, told a news conference on Saturday.
“Raygun is an absolutely loved member of this Olympic team. She has represented the Olympic team, the Olympic spirit with great enthusiasm.
“And I absolutely love her courage. I love her character, and I feel very disappointed for her, that she has come under the attack that she has.
“In 2008, she was locked in a room crying [about] being involved in a male-dominated sport as the only woman, and it took great courage for her to continue on and fight for her opportunity to participate in a sport that she loved.
“That got her to winning the Olympic qualifying event to be here in Paris, she is the best breakdancer female that we have for Australia.
“Now you look at the history of what we have had as women athletes, has faced in terms of criticism, belittlement, judgement, and simple comments like they shouldn’t be there.
“A hundred years ago, leading into Paris 1924, Australia sent a team of 37 athletes. None were women. A hundred years later, we have 256 women representing here.”
Gunn’s first battle was against American Logistx but the Australian was no match for her rivals, as she was unable to win a point in any of her three ‘battles’, including against 16-year-old French B-girl Syssy.
The university lecturer with a PhD in cultural studies later claimed all her moves were “original” but conceded she lacked the athletic capacity to do many of the tricks and flips of her younger competitors.
“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,” said Gunn.
“I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.”
Source Agencies
