Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn Complains Of ‘So Much Hate’ From Her Olympic Breakdancing Performance

B-Girl Raygun of Team Australia reacts during the B-Girls Round Robin – Group B on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Place de la Concorde on Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. | Source: Elsa / Getty

T he unlikeliest of Olympic breakdancers whose performance sparked ongoing cultural criticism and suspicions of unethical behavior has broken her silence to condemn the “hate” she says has been directed toward her.

Racheal “Raygun” Gunn, who represented Australia in the Olympics’ inaugural — and possibly final — breakdancing competition last week in Paris, posted a video on her Instagram account to thank her supporters as well as to, from her view, set the record straight on the allegations that have swirled since she performed.

MORE: The Privilege To Fail: How Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn’s Olympic Routine Made Breakdancing A Global Joke

In case you missed it, Raygun was by far the least skilled breakdancer in an Olympic Breaking competition that included accomplished dancers from across the world. But among the purists in the hip-hop world — a protective community credited decades ago for pioneering breakdancing, one of the four original pillars of hip-hop — Raygun’s performance was a travesty and a disgrace that invited shame upon the hallowed artform.

Dr. Stacey Patton, an award-winning journalist and author, put it a bit more bluntly in an op-ed for NewsOne when she called Raygun’s breakdancing “a modern-day minstrel show, where cultural appropriation masqueraded as athleticism, and a global audience was invited to laugh at the crude distortion of a cultural expression once demonized because it originated with Black urban youth.”

To add further insult to the metaphorical injury, reports have claimed without proof that Raygun and her coach, who is also her husband, rigged the Australian trials for Olympic breaking to ensure that she and no one else would qualify to compete at the Paris Games.

B-Girl Raygun of Team Australia competes as Syssy of Team France looks on during the B-Girls Round Robin – Group B on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Place de la Concorde on Aug. 9, 2024, in Paris, France. | Source: Ezra Shaw / Getty

The combination of Raygun’s performance, subsequent resentment from the hip-hop community and the allegations of cheating has generated a fountain of negativity toward the Ph.D.-holder in cultural studies with a particular focus on breakdancing.

It was in that context that Raygun on Wednesday finally broke her silence to address all of the above.

“I didn’t realize that that would also open the door to so much hate, which ​has frankly​ ​been pretty devastating,” Raygun said in the selfie-styled video. “While I went out there and I had fun, I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly. I’m honored to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of breaking’s Olympic debut.”

Raygun then went on to address the “allegations and misinformation floating around,” an apparent response to an online petition that claims the Olympian “set up her own governing body for breakdancing, has manipulated the selection process to her own advantage.”

The petition also claimed that more talented Australian breakdancers “were unfairly overlooked” and said Raygun’s husband being her coach and part of the selection group “r epresents a blatant conflict of interest that cannot go unchecked.”

The petition called for “a full investigation into the selection process, an audit of Dr. Gunn’s business dealings, and a global public apology to the breaking community for the unethical behavior that has tainted this sport. Rachel Gunn’s lack of ethics and morals raises serious concerns about her fitness to teach and hold any position of authority in the sport, or university.”

As of Thursday morning, the petition had nearly 57,000 electronic signatures.

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) released a statement late Wednesday responding to the petition in defense of Raygun.

The AOC said it was “particularly offended” by the allegations of rigging the selection process in Raygun’s favor.

Source: Elsa / Getty

“It is disgraceful that these falsehoods concocted by an anonymous person can be published in this way,” AOC Chief Executive Officer Matt Carroll said. “It amounts to bullying and harassment and is defamatory. We are demanding that it be removed from the site immediately.”

Carroll added: “The petition has stirred up public hatred without any factual basis.”

Olympic judges have been among those who have also defended Raygun despite the widespread ridicule of her Olympic performance.

According to Fox Sports , Martin Gilian, the head judge in the Breaking competition, said with a straight face that Gunn losing 18-0, 18-0, and 18-0 against the USA, France and Lithuania, respectively, was not a sign that she didn’t do a good job. Gilian claimed that Raygun only lost because the judges at the Paris Olympics were “looking for a certain style” and that, regardless of how comically bad her performance was, the breaking community “definitely stands behind her.”

Gillian added: “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.”

Source: Ezra Shaw / Getty

To be sure, breakdancing is not just a dance form but a cultural phenomenon that has left a profound impact on the world of dance and music. From its humble beginnings in the Bronx to its global influence today, breaking has a rich and dynamic history that mirrors the evolution of hip-hop culture itself.

The origins of breaking can be traced back to the early 1970s in the South Bronx, New York City. Sparked by Latino and Black youth living in the neighborhood, the Bronx was a melting pot of diverse cultures and economic challenges. However, amid this backdrop, a new cultural movement was emerging. Breaking was born out of the vibrant hip-hop scene, which also gave rise to graffiti, MCing (rapping), and DJing.

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