Raygun releases video with statement on allegations after Olympic routine – NBC Chicago
Australian B-girl Raygun has released a new video responding to what she says is the hate speech and misinformation circulating online following her viral Olympic breakdancing performance, calling the aftermath “devastating.”
In a video posted on Instagram on Thursday, Rachael Gunn thanked her supporters for their “positive attitude.”
“I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your life. That’s what I hoped,” she said. “I didn’t realize that it would also open the door to so much hate, which was, quite frankly, quite devastating.”
Last weekend, breakdancing made its Olympic debut, and one lasting image was Gunn’s performance after she performed a “kangaroo dance” during her routine, among other questionable moves, and received zero points.
Gunn, a 36-year-old university professor from Sydney, was subsequently heavily criticized for her performance; in the United States, parodies of it were even shown on late-night television.
Gunn said that although she enjoyed the performance, she “took it very seriously.”
“I worked my ass off preparing for the Olympics and really gave it my all,” she said. “I’m honoured to have been part of the Australian Olympic team and to have been part of Breaking’s Olympic debut. What the other athletes have achieved has been phenomenal.”
She also addressed recent “allegations and misinformation circulating,” citing a statement from the Australian Olympic Committee.
The Australian Olympic Committee criticized an anonymous online petition against Gunn, calling it “harassing, misleading and bullying.”
Board Chairman Matt Carroll said AOC had written a letter to change.org, which had published a petition criticizing Gunn and AOC, demanding that it be withdrawn immediately.
More than 40,000 people have signed the petition claiming that Gunn “rigged” the Olympic qualification process.
According to Carroll, the petition contained “numerous falsehoods designed to incite hatred against an athlete who was selected for the Australian Olympic team through a transparent and independent qualification and nomination process.”
“It is a disgrace that these falsehoods, fabricated by an anonymous person, can be published in this way,” Carroll said. “This is bullying and harassment and defamatory. We demand that this is removed from the website immediately. No athlete who has represented their country at the Olympics should be treated in this way…”
Online criticism over the past week has included suggestions that the Oceania qualifying tournament held in Sydney last October was designed to Gunn’s advantage and questioning the scoring that allowed Gunn to qualify.
The AOC said on Thursday that the Oceania qualifying event was held under the Olympic qualifying system established by the international governing body World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) and approved by the International Olympic Committee.
It was said that the jury for the event was selected by the WDSF and consisted of nine independent international judges.
Unattributed comments on social media also suggested that Gunn and her husband, fellow breakdancer Samuel Free, held positions in Australian breakdancing organizations.
“Rachael Gunn does not hold any role with AUSBreaking or DanceSport Australia,” the AOC said on Thursday. “She is simply an athlete who competed in the qualifying event, which she won.”
Beyond the petition, Gunn called for an end to the harassment of her family, friends, the Australian breakdancing community and the “broader street dance community.”
“Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this, so I ask that you respect their privacy. I will be happy to answer any further questions when I return to Australia,” she said, noting that she would be taking a pre-planned break in Europe.
Gunn’s video comes amid a week of headlines surrounding the dancer, from petition signatures to new footage of her dancing in the Olympic Village with some of her fellow athletes.
The footage, posted on TikTok by Olympic rower and fellow Australian team athlete Jean Mitchell, appears to show athletes in a dance circle, with Gunn jumping into the middle.
The caption referred to Gunn as “QUEEN,” but this sparked mixed reactions from commentators.
Speaking to ESPN, Gunn said she knew she was an “outsider” and acknowledged that her unique style was intentional.
“I wanted to come out here and do something new, different and creative – that’s my strength, my creativity,” Gunn said. “I could never have beaten these girls at what they do best, which is the dynamics and the power moves. So I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative, because how often in life do you get the chance to do that on an international stage.”
The Australian dancer said she wanted to “make an impression in a different way.”
And Gunn is not the only one defending her dance – the breakdancing community does too.
The breakdancing competition’s chief judge said on Sunday that the 36-year-old university professor was simply trying to be original and showing his support. And the breakdancing association said it had offered him psychological support following the online criticism.
“Breakdancing is about originality and bringing something new and representing your country or region,” said head judge Martin Gilian – known as MGbility – at a press conference. “That’s exactly what Raygun did. She was inspired by her surroundings, which in this case was a kangaroo, for example.”
The breaking and hip-hop communities “are definitely behind her,” he added.
“We have five criteria in the judging system for the competition and her level may not have been as high as the other competitors,” said MGbility. “But again, that means she was really bad. She did her best. She won the Oceania qualifier. … Unfortunately, the other B-girls were better.”
Her fellow Australian breakdancer Jeff Dunne, known under the name J Attack, also expressed his support for Gunn.
“All I know is that she did very well,” the 16-year-old told the Herald Sun. “She was the leading women’s breaker in Australia and I recognise her and respect her 100 per cent.”
Other breakdancers like Leah Clark, meanwhile, had mixed feelings.
“I’m friends with Rachael and I competed against her for many years. I was so proud to watch her walk out. (But) the performance… I was a little shocked at what I saw, to be quite honest,” Clark told Australian Broadcasting Corporation’s “Hack,” among others. “Rachael has a quirky style and a unique character. To be honest, I was a little disappointed personally. Some of those choices were not the best for the Olympic stage… there were some questionable decisions made on her behalf. I commend her for being herself. There’s a lot of talent in Australia. But Rachael deserves to be there because she won the championships.”
Clark added that she was concerned about Gunn because of the backlash she had received online, as well as the comments other B-girls received on social media following her performance.
“The ambitious girls have mixed feelings. We care deeply about Rachael and are worried about her and the amount of bullying she is experiencing. No one deserves that. We hope she is OK,” she said. “On the other hand, we ask ourselves: ‘What happened there?'”
Sergey Nifontov, secretary general of the World DanceSport Federation, said they had been in direct contact with Gunn and officials of the Australian Olympic team.
“We have offered the support of our safety officer. We are aware of what has happened, especially on social media, and we should definitely put the athlete’s safety, in this case psychological safety, first,” he said. “She has our support as a federation.”
