Adele paused her concert in Munich this weekend to share her thoughts on the Olympics controversy that has the world talking.
Australian breakdancer Raygun, real name Rachael Gunn, has gone viral after her performance was a flop in Paris, scoring a measly zero in the inaugural women’s breakdancing competition in Paris.
The 36-year-old university lecturer has been mercilessly ridiculed online and music superstar Adele halted her concert in Germany to reveal “it’s all me and my friends have been talking about”.
“I’m not saying anything, but I think it’s the best thing that’s ever happened at the Olympics,” Adele told her fans.
‘Did anyone see the lady breakdancing?’
‘Now I didn’t even know breakdancing was an Olympic sport these days. It’s fucking fantastic. I really believe it.
“Aaron, my percussionist, is pissing himself laughing just thinking about it.”
Adele went on to reveal that she’s not sure if Raygun was a serious contestant in the competition, with many fans comparing his moves to Mr Gee from Australian comedy Summer Heights High.
Adele paused her concert in Munich on Saturday to speak out about Olympic star Raygun
Australian breakdancer has gone viral for her peculiar routine at the Olympic Games
‘I can’t understand if it was a joke, but either way it made me very, very happy and my friends and I were dying of laughter for almost 24 hours.
‘I just wanted to know if you’ve seen it. If you haven’t seen it, leave the show and Google it because it’s crazy.
“It’s so fucking fun and it’s my favorite thing about what’s happened at the Olympics over the whole time.”
Raygun has kept a relatively low profile following his embarrassing performance, but he made a statement on social media amid the barrage of comments.
“What I wanted to do was come here and do something new, different and creative – that’s my strength, my creativity,” he said.
‘I was never going to beat these girls at what they do best, dynamics and power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many opportunities do you get in life to do that on an international stage?
“I was always the underdog and I wanted to make my mark in a different way.”
While Raygun has been the subject of ridicule online, others have come to her defense and credited the 36-year-old for giving her best, even though things didn’t go as planned.
“Raygun got a chance, good for her, and a big thumbs up to her,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese told reporters in Adelaide on Sunday.
“It’s part of the Australian tradition that people are encouraged to try it. She has tried it representing our country, and that’s a good thing.
Adele said the viral moment was the “best thing” that happened at the Paris Games
Raygun, a 36-year-old university professor, scored zero points in the inaugural competition.
“Whether they won gold medals or did their best, that’s all we ask. What really matters is participation.”
Breakdancing has been removed from the programme for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, with no guarantee it will return to Brisbane in 2032 or later.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said she had enjoyed watching the sport and suggested Raygun was already a champion, someone chosen to represent his nation on the world stage.
“To quote Taylor (Swift), let’s let the haters hate and just celebrate the success of our Olympians,” she said in Melbourne.
Head of mission Anna Meares similarly backed Gunn, condemning comments from “trolls and keyboard warriors”.
“I love her character and I feel very disappointed in her for the attack she has received,” she said.
Gunn lost all three of his round-robin battles by a combined score of 54-0 and admitted after the event that he couldn’t compete athletically with the tricks and spins of his younger opponents.
Gunn has published a PhD thesis entitled ‘Deterritorialising gender in the Sydney breakdancing scene: A B-girl’s experience of B-boying’.
The thesis questioned why so few female participants were part of a male-dominated scene, but spoke of sport as a “space that embraces difference”.