Raygun’s father-in-law has voiced his support for the Australian breakdancer, claiming that judges failed to recognize two key elements of her performance.
If you haven’t caught a glimpse of Rachael Gunn’s routine for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games’ breakdancing event, you might be out of the loop.
At 36, Gunn’s performance went viral for its inventive style, but it left judges unimpressed. As a result, she scored zero points in all three bouts she participated in.
After clinching victory at the 2023 Oceania Breaking Championships, Gunn secured her spot in the 2024 Olympics, accompanied by her coach and husband, Samuel Free.
Though Gunn aimed to deliver something “new and different and creative,” her routine did not resonate well with the judges.
A judge informed News Corp that while they were “sorry” to see Gunn receive zero points, and acknowledged that the “breaking and hip hop community definitely stands behind her,” the score reflected that Gunn’s “level was maybe not as high as the other competitors.”
“Again, we’re using a comparative judging system. Her competitors were just better but it doesn’t mean that she did really bad. She did her best,” the judge added.
In response to the social media reactions to Gunn’s performance, Sergei Nifontov, general secretary of the World DanceSport Federation, announced that she would receive mental health support following the games.
Her father-in-law also criticized the judges for not awarding Gunn any points for her performance.
In a Facebook post on Saturday (August 10), Andrew Free responded to a friend, as quoted by Fox News: “She did not get through the preliminary round to the finals.
“It was a pretty stacked competition and the judges were clearly looking for a certain style of breaking which is not Rachael’s.
“Although they are supposed to mark five different aspects with each having the same weighting [Technique, execution, musicality, originality and vocabulary], in my obviously biased opinion they did not reward originality and musicality so she was up against it.
“The main thing is she represented Australia and breaking at the Olympics with courage and dignity. It comes naturally for some of them, not so much for Rachael. It is part of the culture.”
If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.