The B-girl Rachael “Raygun” Gunn defeated to land her place at the Paris Olympics has gone viral after video of her at an event last year was shared to social media.
Wollongong’s Molly Chapman was defeated by Gunn in the WDSF Oceania Championships held at Sydney’s Town Hall last October to book her place to the Olympics.
It wasn’t the first attempt either had to qualify for Paris after Chapman finished 79th and Gunn was 64th out of 80 entrants at the World Championships.
While Gunn qualified through Oceania, Chapman had one more chance to qualify for the Olympics but failed to land a spot at qualifying events in Shanghai and Budapest earlier this year.
But after Gunn’s Olympic performance was widely derided across social media and by celebrities including Adele and Jimmy Fallon, viewers have been left flabbergasted that Gunn had defeated Chapman.
Gunn’s performance at the Olympics included rolling around on the floor, mimicking a snake and a kangaroo, and even did the sprinkler.
She lost all three of her battles 18-0.
Even her fashion was criticised as the other competitors came out in street clothes, while Gunn wore her Australian Olympic tracksuit and cap.
In a video shared on X of Chapman’s performance at a Red Bull BC One event last year, which has over 6.7 million views at time of writing, social media users were in disbelief that Gunn was sent to Paris.
One fan said: “Not great but still 10000x better than ‘Raygun’.”
Indie author Marea Hannah Whitley, who posted the video, replied: “I agree. Not going to win on an Olympic level, but not going to embarrass herself and her country.”
Another commented: “Raygun was more qualified. I mean she has a Ph.D. what are Molly’s credentials besides being a better breakdancer?”
Another wrote: “This is still not an Olympic sport, however this is infinitely more skilled than what Raygun did.”
Another suggested: “The AOC needs to examine the qualifying process. Something is awry.”
Gunn didn’t return with the rest of the Australian team, extending her stay in Europe instead of returning to Australia after the Olympics.
Chapman did defend Gunn, posting a statement from Ausbreaking over the Olympic qualification.
The statement read: “The selection process for Australia’s Breaking team heading to Paris was conducted over two days, and open to all interested participants in the Oceanic region. Adhering to World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) regulations, which align with International Olympic Committee (IOC) standards, the process aimed to ensure a fair and transparent outcome.”
Chapman shared the statement on her Instagram Stories, adding “Truth/facts”.
Chapman wasn’t the only one going into bat for Gunn either, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the 36-year-old academic, saying: “The Olympics is about people participating in sport — that’s a good thing and Raygun had a crack.”
Australian Olympic chef de mission Anna Meares suggested the wave of online trolling was misogynistic.
Her Australian teammates also backed her, getting her to dance for the team ahead of the closing ceremony, while Aussie champion Jess Fox revealed the toll it had taken on Gunn.
“I did speak to her; it is devastating for her,” Fox, who won two gold medals in Paris, told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“To see the toll … she is human and it is massive what she has been through over the last week. She has definitely been feeling it.
“There is a human behind all that, and people are so quick to be awful. She doesn’t deserve that.”
Even head breaking judge at the Olympics Martin Gilian said: “Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region.
“This is exactly what Raygun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo.
“That doesn’t mean that she did really bad. She did her best. She won the Oceania qualifier.
“Unfortunately for her, the other B-girls were better.”
But Gunn has been roundly criticised.
Fellow breakdancer Leah Clark admitted she was a bit disappointed in Raygun’s performance but said she had earned her spot to compete in Paris.
However, Clark said Gunn’s performance had even led to her and others in the breakdancing community to be trolled.
“I have been a friend of Rachael and have competed against her for many years. I was so proud to watch her walk out. (But) the performance … I was a little shocked at what I saw to be totally honest,” Clark told Triple J’s Hack.
“Rachael does have a quirky style and a unique character.
“To be honest on a personal level, I was a bit disappointed.
“Some of those choices weren’t the best for the Olympic stage … there were some questionable decisions made on her behalf.
“I praise her for being her authentic self.
“There is a huge amount of talent in Australia. But Rachael deserved to be there because she won the championships.
“We don’t have access to compete at high profile events regularly.
“The Australian B-girl scene is vast and powerful and maybe that wasn’t portrayed at the Olympics.”
There’s even been a petition started aimed at Gunn and Meares demanding “a public apology” for “misleading the Australian public and attempting to gaslight the public and undermining the efforts of genuine athletes”.
The petition has over 25,000 signatures at time of writing.
Source Agencies
