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Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn said she was “honored” to represent the country at the 2024 Summer Olympics but that some of the negative reaction she has received has been “devastating.”
In a video posted to Instagram, Gunn also addressed an online petition that alleged she had manipulated the qualifying process to ensure she reached the Olympics.
Australian Olympic Committee chief executive officer Matt Carroll came to her defense and assailed the petition.
“It is disgraceful that these falsehoods concocted by an anonymous person can be published in this way,” he said, per ESPN.com. “It amounts to bullying and harassment and is defamatory. We are demanding that it be removed from the site immediately. No athlete who has represented their country at the Olympic Games should be treated in this way.”
Gunn attained viral fame in Paris thanks to her performance. Each of her three individual matchups ended with scores of 18-0, and her unique style set her apart from the field.
San Antonio Zoological Society 🦍 @SanAntonioZoo
The roos at Kangaroo Krossing thought Raygun NAILED IT, and should have received a perfect score at the Olympics. 🦘🥇 pic.twitter.com/P2AzezaJGp
Martin Gilian, an experienced breakdancer and judge for the competition, credited Gunn for her originality.
“Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region,” he told reporters. “This is exactly what Raygun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo.”
However, Gunn was the subject of plenty of mockery online, and things went a step further with the anonymous petition. The ESPN.com report noted as well that “unattributed social media comments also suggested Gunn and her husband, fellow breaker Samuel Free, had held positions within Australian breaking organizations.”
The Australian Olympic Committee denied Gunn or her husband had official roles with AUSBreaking or DanceSport Australia. It said Gunn qualified for the Olympics on merit and through the proper channels.
While the International Olympic Committee approved adding breaking to the official program for the Paris Games, it isn’t included in the upcoming slate for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.
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