The family of the Australian breakdancer who went viral for her performance at the Paris Olympics last week slammed the judges for giving her zero points.
Rachael Gunn, the b-girl known as Raygun, tried to wow the audience with a “kangaroo dance,” among other moves. However, the judges appeared to be less than enthused.
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Australian Rachael Gunn, known as Raygun, competes in the Women’s Breaking dance Round robin of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at La Concorde in Paris on Aug. 9, 2024. (ODD ANDERSEN/AFP via Getty Images)
“It was a pretty stacked competition and the judges were clearly looking for a certain style of breaking which is not Rachael’s,” Andrew Free, Gunn’s father-in-law, wrote on Facebook, via Fox Sports Australia. “Although they are supposed to mark five different aspects with each having the same weighting, in my obviously biased opinion they did not reward originality and musicality so she was up against it.
“The main thing is she represented Australia and breaking at the Olympics with courage and dignity. It comes naturally for some of them, not so much for Rachael. It is part of the culture.”
Gunn brushed off the criticism in an interview with ESPN.
Fans cheer for Raygun from Team Australia during the Women’s Breaking at La Concorde during the Paris 2024 Olympics on Aug. 9, 2024. (Toni L. Sandys/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
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“I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best: their power moves,” Gunn said of those competitors in her group. “What I bring is creativity.”
Gunn said all of her moves were original and that she was trying to be as creative as possible.
“Creativity is really important to me. I go out there and I show my artistry. Sometimes it speaks to the judges, and sometimes it doesn’t. I do my thing, and it represents art. That is what it is about,” Gunn added.
The head judge for the breaking competition, Martin Gilian, also defended Gunn.
Raygun of Australia during the Breaking, B-Girls Round Robin at La Concorde on the 14th day of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in Paris on Friday Aug. 9, 2024. (John Walton/PA Images via Getty Images)
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“Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region,” he said. “This is exactly what Raygun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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