Raygun: Anthony Albanese breaks his silence on Aussie breakdancer after she was widely mocked following disastrous Olympic Games routine
Australian political leaders have rallied behind Rachael Gunn as the Olympic team closes ranks behind the embattled breakdancer.
The 36-year-old, better known as Raygun, failed to score a single point when breaking made its Olympic debut in Paris on Friday.
The Macquarie University lecturer’s take on the performance has caused a stir on social media and raised questions about the validity of the sport.
Back home, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Gunn when asked about criticism of her handling.
“Raygun made a good move, well done and a big compliment to her,” he told reporters in Adelaide on Sunday.
“That’s in the Australian tradition of people trying. She’s tried to represent our country, and that’s a good thing.
“Whether they won gold medals or just did their best, that’s all we asked. It’s the participation that really matters.”
Breakdancing has been removed from the programme for the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, but there is no guarantee the sport will return in Brisbane in 2032 or later.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has broken his silence on the Raygun circuit breaker
The 36-year-old has been widely ridiculed after her disastrous Olympic routine
But Albanese praised the university lecturer for attempting to win the Paris Games
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said she had enjoyed watching the sport and said Raygun was already a champion for having been chosen to represent his country on the world stage.
“To quote Taylor (Swift), let the haters hate and let’s just celebrate the success of our Olympians,” she said in Melbourne.
Chef de mission Anna Meares also supported Gunn and condemned comments made by “trolls and keyboard warriors”.
“I love her character and I feel very sorry for her that she is being attacked like this,” she said.
Gunn lost all three of her round-robin bouts by a combined score of 54-0 and admitted afterwards that she could not compete athletically with the tricks and spins of her younger opponents.
“I wanted to come here and do something new, different and creative. That’s my strength, my creativity,” she said.
Gunn published a dissertation entitled ‘Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney’s Breakdancing Scene: A B-girl’s Experience of B-boying’.
The thesis questioned why there were so few female participants in the male-dominated world of sport, but spoke of sport as a ‘space that embraces difference’.