Olympic breakdancer Raygun didn’t deserve the hate

Rachael Gunn, who dances professionally as Raygun, has been embroiled in controversy, although her only fault is not earning the judges’ approval at the 2024 Paris Olympics.

This year was the first time breakdancing, also known as breaking, was held as an official Olympic event, although it was previously featured at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics. Unfortunately, it doesn’t appear the event will return, as it was noticeably absent from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics program. Although there’s no evidence for this claim, many have insisted that Gunn is responsible for the event’s cancelation. The dancer has been hit with a barrage of needlessly cruel reactions to her performance and has faced multiple false allegations, including that she ruined the event for future athletes and cheated her way into the Olympics.

What happened to Raygun at the Olympics?

Gunn made it to the 2024 Olympics after winning the Oceania Breaking Championships. She was representing Australia at the Olympics and decided to pay homage to her country with a unique performance. Her performance was inspired by Australia’s national animal, the kangaroo. As a result, her routine included a few unconventional moves, including hopping like a kangaroo and doing toe touches while lying on the ground. However, she also threw in a few headstands and some footwork. Unfortunately, the judges weren’t impressed and gave her a score of 0, eliminating her from the competition after the first round.

Her performance really wasn’t significant. She tried something new and unique, which takes guts when performing at the biggest sporting event in the world. It’s unfortunate it didn’t hit the mark with audiences and judges. But her breakdancing routine quickly went viral on TikTok, with many users mocking her over it or calling her an “embarrassment” and criticizing her for taking the Olympic spot. Even celebrities like Jimmy Fallon and Rachel Dracht have made whole skits just to make fun of Gunn.

Those weren’t even the worst reactions, though. Some people went further than mean-spirited mocking and began spreading outright lies about Gunn, including a rumor that she cheated her way into the Olympics. Claims arose that Gunn and her husband, Samuel Free, were the founders of the Australian Breaking Association and used their influence to secure her a spot in the Olympics. They allegedly hosted a fake competition that only a handful of women signed up for and then gave Gunn the win and Olympic spot. However, neither Gunn nor Free are founders of the Australian Breaking Association, nor are they even board members. Similar claims that Free was an Olympic judge or tied to the Australian Olympic team whatsoever were also debunked. He is merely her coach.

Unfortunately, the fact that the rumors have been debunked hasn’t stopped them from spreading. A Change.Org petition quickly popped up and is still active. The petition demands a full investigation into the alleged incident, an audit of Gunn’s alleged business, and a public apology from Gunn for misleading the public. The petition has already received over 11,000 signatures, the majority of which were received after reports arose debunking the rumor.

Why are people reacting so strongly to Gunn?

Sadly, it seems women are in a lose-lose situation in the Olympics. If they excel at their sport and achieve a medal, they are accused of being men, but if they fail to secure a medal, they are accused of cheating their way into the competition. If they drop out of a competition, they’re called quitters, but if they remain, they’re accused of stealing spots from more deserving competitors.

The thing is, Gunn earned her position in the Olympics. Just because the full extent of her skills may not have been on display doesn’t mean she isn’t a great breakdancer. Videos of past performances confirm that she is a talented breakdancer. In addition to trying to be creative, it seems the pressure did get to Gunn a bit, as she later stated that she didn’t believe she would ever beat her fellow competitors since she’s relatively new to breakdancing, and dancing professionally isn’t her full-time job.

So Gunn just decided to be “artistic and creative” and leave her mark on the competition in whatever way possible. Even the Olympic judges who gave her a poor score stood up for her and commended her courage in taking the stage and doing what she loved even though she was the “underdog” of the competition. She didn’t let her feelings of inadequacy dissuade her from representing her country and doing what she loves. Ultimately, Gunn showed way more guts and skill than anyone sitting on the couch and judging her through a TV screen.