Olympics fans have reacted strongly after Australia’s Olympic chief blamed sexism for criticism of breakdancer Raygun, while athletics legend Sally Pearson has weighed in on the dramas.
Chef de mission Anna Meares says Gunn should be applauded for her bravery, rather than ridiculed for her performance at the Paris Games.
Gunn, known as Raygun, failed to score any points when breaking made its Olympic debut in Paris on Friday.
Since then, Gunn has come under fire not only for his acting but also for his appearance, both online and in some traditional media.
He hopped like a kangaroo, sometimes looked like a T-Rex, and rolled around on the ground in a disjointed manner that both confused and amused Australians returning home to see the sport for the first time.
“In 2008, she was locked in a room crying, participating in a male-dominated sport as the only woman,” Meares said.
‘And it took a lot of courage for her to keep going and fight for her chance to participate in a sport she loved.
‘That led her to win the Olympic qualifying event to be here in Paris.
Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn’s groundbreaking routines in Paris sent her into the spotlight for all the wrong reasons after she failed to score a single point when the sport made its Olympic debut.
Australia’s chef de mission in Paris, Anna Meares (pictured), said the criticism of Raygun was the same kind of misogynistic abuse that has been directed at generations of female athletes.
“She’s the best breakdancer we have in Australia.”
Meares compared the criticism to the historical misogynistic abuse directed at female athletes as they struggled for recognition in the sporting world.
“Now you look at the history of what we’ve had as female athletes, what we’ve faced in terms of criticism, belittlement, judgment and simple comments like ‘you shouldn’t be there,'” she said.
‘One hundred years ago, ahead of Paris 1924, Australia sent a team of 37 athletes (none of them women).
‘One hundred years later, we have 256 women representing here.’
Fans responded to Meares’ comments, insisting that sexism has nothing to do with the global reaction to Raygun’s actions.
Raygun left many viewers in hysterics or scratching their heads with a routine that saw her hop like a kangaroo and even resemble a T-Rex at times.
Fans say criticism of Australian sensation has nothing to do with sexism
“Saying that bashing Raygun (I can’t even believe I’m typing that name!) is sexism = bullshit. A complete cop-out!” posted one X user.
“Interesting deviation from the topic… Instead of owning up to her mistake and deficiency in the selection methodology, she decided to resort to sexism. From what I’ve read, I don’t see anyone who does that. Very weak response from the Australian head of mission,” posted another.
“There’s no sexism here. She just sucked. If a guy did that same dance, the world would say the same thing,” another responded.
Meanwhile, Australian Olympic legend Sally Pearson has come to Gunn’s defence, saying not every athlete aims to win gold.
“Pierre de Coubertin, known as the father of the modern Olympic Games, famously said ‘the most important thing in the Olympic Games is not to win, but to participate,'” Pearson wrote in an article. News Corp Column.
‘That’s exactly what Gunn did and it’s a point that everyone has overlooked in the wake of his performance.
Australian sporting icon Sally Pearson says Gunn earned her place in the team and had fans talking.
‘She also gets everyone talking and I’m sure that after her performance, people will keep talking for a long time.’
Gunn, a 36-year-old Australian university professor, lost all three of her round-robin battles by a combined score of 54-0.
Pearson went on to highlight how talented Gunn was and how much effort she had put in.
“It’s a real shame that the Paris Olympics were Australia’s best ever, coming third in the medal table with 18 golds, but some people will only remember Australia’s performance because of what Gunn did,” he wrote.
“It seems that whether you agree or not, whether you think this is an Olympic sport or not, or whether it is a high performance sport or not, Raygun has ticked all the boxes and has rightfully earned her place on the team and will forever be etched in Australian history as Australia’s only female b-girl.”