Rachael Gunn’s father-in-law has criticised the Olympic judges after they broke their silence after his daughter-in-law failed to score a single point in the breakdancing competition.
The 36-year-old, better known as Raygun, has lost all three of her round-robin bouts by a combined score of 54-0.
Gunn was coached by her husband, breakdancer Samuel Free.
Andrew Free, Raygun’s father-in-law and Samuel’s father, took to social media on Saturday to complain about the judges, blaming them in part for her poor performance.
“It was quite a close match and the judges were clearly looking for a certain style of breaking, which doesn’t suit Rachel,” he said on social media.
‘Even though they were supposed to judge five different aspects, with each aspect being given equal weight, I don’t think originality and musicality were rewarded, which I think is a biased opinion. So she had a problem.
“The most important thing is that she represented Australia and won the Olympic Games with courage and dignity.”
The authorities in Paris judged the artists in five categories: technique, execution, musicality, originality and vocabulary.
Raygun became an overnight sensation for all the wrong reasons after failing to score a single point in his first Olympic appearance.
Gunn and her husband Samuel Free are pictured ahead of her Olympic debut
In a statement of support on Sunday, breaking competition head judge Martin Gilian, better known as MGbility, said Gunn embodied the spirit of the discipline in her attempt to be original.
And he revealed that the fracturing federation had offered her mental health care following the negative reactions.
“Breaking is about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region,” MGbility said during a press conference. “That’s exactly what Raygun did. She was inspired by her surroundings, which in this case was a kangaroo.”
“We use five criteria in the competitive judging system and her level may not have been as high as the other competitors,” he continued in an attempt to explain why Gunn did not receive any points.
“But again, that doesn’t mean she did really bad. She did her best. She won the Oceania qualifier. Unfortunately for her, the other B-girls were better.”
Despite Raygun’s family’s enthusiasm for her routine, the breakdancer was heavily criticized for her routine and uniform, both of which were typically Australian.
This included kangaroo jumping, wriggling like a snake and even using ‘the sprinkler’, an iconic Australian dance trick often used by men who can’t dance.
Raygun admitted afterwards that she could not compete athletically with the tricks and spins of her younger opponents.
Sharon and Andrew Free are the in-laws of Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn
“I wanted to come here and do something new, different and creative. That’s my strength, my creativity,” she said.
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.
Raygun is a lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney, Department of Media, Communications, Creative Arts, Language and Literature.
Queensland Senator Gerard Rennick cited Raygun’s official Macquarie University profile in a Facebook post after she went viral, pointing out that she had received taxpayer money to study breakdancing at the institution.
“There is a lot of talk about Australia’s breakdancing representative at the Olympics,” Senator Rennick posted.
‘I’m more interested in her actual profession. She studied at Macquarie University for her BA in Contemporary Music, graduating in 2009, and her PhD in Cultural Studies, graduating in 2017.
‘Raygun’s PhD thesis focused on ‘the intersection of gender and Sydney’s pioneering culture’… her publications include:
“In the same way that breakdancing has no place in the Olympics, it is fair to say that taxpayers should not be providing subsidies to universities to study or teach it,” he continued.
‘Nothing against breakdancing by the way. It is certainly an honest recreational activity, but that’s it. It should not be subsidized.
It also begs the question: how many obscure and useless courses do universities offer that are subsidized by taxpayers?
“It also shows that just because you have a PhD in something doesn’t mean you’re good at it.”