Olympic judge praises breaker’s ‘originality’
The top judge of the Olympic breaking competition has thrown his support behind Rachael Gunn of Team Australia, after her unorthodox routine in Paris divided the internet.
Gunn, who competes under the name Raygun, was eliminated from the B-Girls competition after scoring zero, prompting both ridicule and praise for her unique style.
“Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table… and this is exactly what Raygun was doing,” Martin Gilian said in defence of the athlete, who has also been commended by Australia’s Prime Minister for “having a go”.
Breaking, which debuted at the Paris Games, is not on the programme for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
A 36-year-old university lecturer from Sydney by day, Gunn stood out in almost every way against her competitors, many of whom are in their early 20s.
Her performances during her three rounds on Friday quickly lit up the internet, with users creating a sea of memes and video spoofs, questioning everything from her outfit to her qualification.
Mr Gilian – whose stage name is MGbility – said Raygun’s score was indicative of the “competitive judging system” adopted by the sport and shouldn’t be taken as proof “she did really bad”.
As well as defending her place in the competition, by citing her success in the Oceania qualifier, Mr Gilian praised Gunn for her innovative choreography – which included the sprinkler and, arguably her most controversial move, hopping around like a kangaroo.
“She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo.”
Gunn – who has a background as a jazz, tap and ballroom dancer – has used similar language when explaining her performance.
“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 in a lifetime to do that on an international stage?”
Speaking to media on Sunday, Australia’s leader Anthony Albanese said the attacks levelled at Gunn were not in keeping with the spirit of the Games.
“The Olympics is about people participating in sport… and Raygun had a crack, good on her.”
Team officials and the Olympics breakdancing community have similarly rallied around Gunn – offering her mental health support and calling out the online backlash.
“I think that what has occurred on social media with trolls and keyboard warriors… has been really disappointing,” Australian Olympic great Anna Meares, who serves as the team’s chef de mission in Paris, said on Saturday.
“I absolutely love her courage. I love her character,” she added.
Jeff ‘J-Attack’ Dunne, who represented Australia in the men’s competition on Sunday, also praised his teammate.
“All I know is she represented hard, she has been the leading breaker in Australia for the women and I acknowledge her and respect her 100%,” Dunne said.
A hip-hop inspired dance born in the boroughs of New York in the 1970s, breaking was introduced into this year’s schedule as a way to attract a younger audience to the Games.
But some critics say it should never have been included, due to the organic nature of the genre, which doesn’t necessarily suit organised competition.
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