Olympic breakdancer speaks out about polarising performance
The Australian breakdancer, Raygun, went viral for her “interesting” routine.
The Paris 2024 Olympics has come to an end.
After two weeks of the elite sports competition, there were many incredible moments; from the star-studded opening ceremony to incredible feats of strength, speed, and skills across the board.
WATCH: Footage of Hollywood action star hoping to reach Olympics goes viral
Team SA also represented the country proudly and can walk with their heads held high.
Many athletes had viral moments, although the French pole vaulter was one that stood out for many reasons…
READ: Paris 2024: Bonuses athletes will receive for winning gold at the Olympics
On the penultimate day of the Olympic games, breakdancers showed off their skills for the first time on this world stage.
The 2024 games marked the first time breakdancing has been recognised as an Olympic sport and the athletes couldn’t wait to represent their country in the sport.
Unfortunately, the LA '28 Games has decided to axe the sport.
VIDEO: Timelapse shows the Paris Olympic pool being built
The breakdancing event was highly anticipated at the 2024 games, but one participant's performance overshadowed the event.
The Australian break dancer Raygun (real name Rachael Gunn) left viewers in shock after her performance.
She also managed to score zero points in three rounds, which many critics said was not very surprising considering her routine.
You can watch her performance here:
@becvilikas its the ending for me #breakdancing #olympics2024 #olympics #australia #raygun ♬ original sound - UnknoWn_
Her performance has since gone viral and she has been receiving a lot of backlash.
Gunn has decided to speak up about her performance and stand by what she did:
What is an Olympic sport? What are the similarities between dressage and artistic swimming and the 100m sprint and the pentathlon? Breaking is clearly athletic, it clearly requires a whole level of dedication across a number of different aspects. It’s really bringing a new level of excitement. All my moves are original. Creativity is really important to me. I go out there and I show my artistry. Sometimes it speaks to the judges, and sometimes it doesn’t. I do my thing, and it represents art. That is what it is about.
She also commented on the LA Olympics deciding not to include breakdancing:
It was disappointing it was decided that it wouldn’t be in LA, particularly before we even had a chance to show it. That was possibly a little premature. I wonder if they’re kicking themselves now?
It's obvious that she might be sensitive about her performance and defensive, but the breakdancing community has also spoken up about her routine:
The breaking and hip hop community definitely stands behind her. She was just trying to bring something new, something original and something that represents her country. We stay with her. We have five criteria in the comparative judging system. Just her 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.
There were many athletes who did not walk away with an Olympic medal but they can all be proud of themselves for representing their country and being part of the games regardless of where they placed.
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Main image courtesy of @blueskykites/X