- Australian break dancer Raygun has been ridiculed for her routine at the Games
- The 36-year-old received no points from the judges for her performance in Paris
- Breaking made its Olympic debut in 2024 but it will not been included in LA
The Paris Olympics’ breaking head judge has rallied behind under-fire dancer Rachael Gunn amid online ridicule after her pointless routine at the Games.
The 36-year-old Australian, known as Raygun, failed to register a single point when the event made its debut as an Olympic sport in Paris on Friday. The university professor’s performance sent social media into a spin and raised questions about the sport’s validity.
Gunn has since been a target of criticism by armchair critics and keyboard warriors for not only her performance but her appearance on social media and in some mainstream media.
In a show of support on Sunday, the head judge of the breaking competition Martin Gilian, known as MGbility, said that Gunn embodied the spirit of the discipline in her effort to be original.
And he revealed that the breaking federation had offered her mental health support in the wake of the backlash.
Australian break dancer Rachael Gunn – known as Raygun – has been ridiculed online for her routine at the Paris Games
![The 36-year-old was not awarded a single point for her performance as breaking made its Olympic debut](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/12/08/88431921-13734541-image-a-3_1723448386403.jpg)
The 36-year-old was not awarded a single point for her performance as breaking made its Olympic debut
Your browser does not support iframes.
‘Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region,’ MGbility said in a press conference. ‘This is exactly what Raygun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo.’
‘We have five criteria in the competitive judging system and just her level was maybe not as high as the other competitors,’ He continued in an effort to explain why Gunn was not awarded any points.
‘But again, that doesn’t mean that she did really bad. She did her best. She won the Oceania qualifier. Unfortunately for her, the other B-girls were better.’
In the aftermath of the event, Gunn has also received the backing of several high-profile Australians, including the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who commended her when asked about the criticism of her routine.
‘Raygun had a crack, good on her, and a big shout out to her. That is in the Australian tradition of people having a go. She’s had a go representing our country, and that’s a good thing.
![Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese leapt to the defence of Gunn following the backlash](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2024/08/12/08/88408009-13734541-Australian_Prime_Minister_Anthony_Albanese_has_broken_his_silenc-a-1_1723448350023.jpg)
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese leapt to the defence of Gunn following the backlash
‘Whether they’ve won gold medals or just done their best, that’s all we asked for. It’s the participating that is really important.’
Breakdancing has been dropped from the program for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with no guarantee it will return at Brisbane in 2032 or beyond.
***
Read more at DailyMail.co.uk