Despite the varied opinions surrounding Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn’s Olympic debut, her father-in-law and husband have enthusiastically and unwaveringly supported her.
The 36-year-old, who was competing in the inaugural Olympic women’s breakdancing competition, caused quite a sensation when her performance featured some unusual techniques and kangaroo-like hopping steps.
“I wanted to use my creativity and strength to come out here and do something new and different,” she remarked after the event.
After Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn failed to score a single point at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, her family vehemently backed her.
Image credits: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images
Her three round-robin losses with scores of 18-0, 18-0, and 18-0 prevented her from earning any points against competitors from the USA, France, or Lithuania, despite her best efforts.
The breakdancer’s act was widely ridiculed online, and talk show presenter Jimmy Fallon even paid a humorous homage to her on his show.
But her father-in-law, Andrew Free, vehemently defended her performance, saying the judges failed to recognise her originality and flair.
The 36-year-old breakdancer was not only the target of jokes online, but she was even mentioned by singer Adele on stage. Jimmy Fallon also paid a cheeky tribute to her on his show
He posted on social media, saying, “It was a pretty stacked competition and the judges were clearly looking for a certain style of breaking which is not Rachael’s.”
“She was up against it because, in my obviously biassed opinion, they did not reward originality and musicality, even though they are supposed to mark five different aspects with each having the same weighting.”
“What matters most is that she bravely and dignifiedly represented Australia and broke at the Olympics,” he continued.
Raygun was raised doing jazz, ballroom, and tap dances. Her now-husband and coach, Samuel Free, introduced her to breakdancing when she was a student.
Raygun had to work hard to go to the Olympics; she had to win the Oceania Breaking Championships the year before to be able to compete.
Her now-husband and coach, Samuel Free, introduced her to breakdancing at university after she had grown up performing jazz, ballroom, and tap.
After getting married in 2018, the pair, who first met in 2008, have committed their entire lives to her record-breaking profession.
The Australian champion uses her love of dancing to pursue academic goals when she’s not showing off her abilities on stage.
She is a researcher and lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney, where she holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies. Her university biography states that she is interested in the “cultural politics of breaking” as her area of study.
The Ph.D. holder is also a researcher and lecturer at the Macquarie University in Sydney
Her areas of interest in research include street dance, breaking, hip-hop culture, youth cultures and scenes, the politics of gender and gender performance, and ethnography.
Head judge Martin Gilian, also known as MGbility, from the Olympics defended her after she went viral and complimented her for “bringing something new to the table.”
At a press conference, he stated, “She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, was a kangaroo.”
The Australian breakdancer’s father-in-law remarked, “In my obviously biassed opinion they did not reward originality and musicality so she was up against it,” in response to the controversy.
“Her level may not have been as high as the other competitors, according to the five criteria in the competitive judging system,” MGbility went on. However, that does not imply that she performed poorly. She tried her hardest. She was the Oceania qualifying winner, but the other B-girls were, regrettably, superior than her.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also defended her and said, “(It’s an) Australian tradition of people having a go. She’s had a go representing our country and that’s a good thing.”