Accusations made against RayGun and her husband online surrounding her Olympic selection process have been debunked, after a petition was launched online and racked thousands of signatures.
36-year-old RayGun went viral on social media after her performance during the breakdancing competition that was having its Olympic debut at Paris 2024, with her routines failing to pick up a single point from the judges over the course of three rounds.
Various claims have been circulating online that Gunn, her husband and coach Samuel Free were the founders of the Australian Breaking Association - the organisation that chose who would take part in the games. However, that has since been debunked by the Sydney Morning Herald .
Speaking to the publication before heading to Paris, RayGun explained: “I won the Oceania qualifier, and by winning that competition, I got the direct spot to Paris. That was a really intense, really stressful but really amazing competition.”
It comes as a petition criticising RayGun has racked up more than 20,000 signatures. It was posted by an anonymous person who goes by the name “Someone Who hates corruption”. It accuses RayGun – real name Rachael Gunn – of “manipulating the selection process for her own advantage” as well as questioning the “fairness and integrity of the process”.
The petition details the challenges other breakdancers faced in attending the qualifiers to represent Australia at the games.
It reads: “Despite the clear talent and qualification of other outstanding female breakdancers like G Clef and Holy Molly, they were unfairly overlooked. The NT Youlong Boys, a group of incredibly talented and underprivileged youth from the Northern Territory, were denied crucial funding by Dr. Gunn to attend the qualifiers—a decision that directly impacted their chance to showcase their skills on a national stage.”
The petition also criticised Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) president Anna Meares, accusing her and Gunn of “misleading the Australian public and attempting to gaslight the public and undermining the efforts of genuine athletes”.
Meares previously defended Gunn after she faced a backlash following her performance, telling reporters: "I love Rachael. What has occurred on social media with trolls and keyboard warriors, and taking those comments and giving them air time, has been really disappointing.
"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."
AusBreaking has also explained why RayGun was selected, saying: "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.
"A panel of nine international adjudicators, a head judge and a chairperson who oversaw the competition, using the same judging system at the Paris Games and trained to uphold the highest standards of impartiality."
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