The top judge for the Paris Olympics breaking competition has defended Rachael Gunn’s much-ridiculed routine.
Gunn, 36, who performs under the name B-girl Raygun, has become something of an internet meme after representing Australia in breaking’s Olympic debut and completing a “kangaroo dance”.
The professor with a Ph. D in cultural studies failed to impress judges as she completed moves including raising one leg while standing and leaning back with her arms bent toward her ears. In another, while laying on her side, she reached for her toes, flipped over and did it again.
She ended up scoring zero points in all three round-robin battles in Paris, but head judge Martin Gilian – known as MGbility – has since praised the competitor for her “originality” and “bringing something new to the table”.
“She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo,” he said in a news conference.
The judge said the breaking and hip-hop communities “definitely stand behind her”.
“We have five criteria in the competitive judging system and just her level was maybe not as high as the other competitors,” MGbility said.
“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.”
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Gunn has been offered mental health support due to some of the reactions to her performance, according to Sergei Nifontov, general secretary of the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF).
He said the WDSF had been in direct contact with Gunn and Australian Olympic team officials to offer support from a safeguarding officer.
“We are aware about what has happened, especially on social media, and definitely we should put the safety of the athlete, in this case, mental safety in first place,” he said.
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“She has us as a federation supporting her.”
Gunn, around twice the age of the other competitors, said afterwards: “I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best – their power moves.
“What I bring is creativity.”
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Breaking, which is not set to feature at the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028, had plenty of talking points.
Lithuanian competitor Dominika Banevic, known as B-Girl Nicka, was accused of cultural appropriation for wearing a durag – a head covering which has its roots in head wraps worn by enslaved Africans to tie up hair for work. It became popular in the hip hop fashion of the 1990s.
Fellow breaker Manizha Talash was disqualified for wearing a cape which read “Free Afghan Women”. Displaying political messages is strictly banned under International Olympic Committee (IOC) rules.
