Rachael Gunn’s father-in-law has hit out at Olympic judges by breaking his silence over his daughter-in-law’s failure to score a point in the break dancing competition.
The 36-year-old, known as Raygun, lost all three of her round-robin battles by a combined score of 54-0.
Gunn was trained by her husband, fellow 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, partly blaming them for his poor performance.
“It was a pretty close competition and the judges were clearly looking for a certain style of breaking that Rachael doesn’t,” she said on social media.
‘Even though they are supposed to score five different aspects, each with equal weight, in my obviously biased opinion, they did not reward originality or musicality, so she was in trouble.
“Most importantly, she represented Australia and breaking at the Olympics with courage and dignity.”
Officials in Paris rated the performers 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 during breaking’s first appearance at the Olympics.
Gunn and her husband Samuel Free are pictured before her Olympic debut
In a show of support on Sunday, the breaking competition’s head judge, Martin Gilian, known as MGbility, said Gunn embodied the spirit of the discipline in his efforts to be original.
And she revealed that the disbanded federation had offered her mental health support in the wake of the backlash.
“Breaking is all about originality, bringing something new and representing your country or region,” MGbility said at a press conference. “That’s exactly what Raygun was doing. He was inspired by his surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo.”
“We have five criteria in the competitive judging system and his level was perhaps not as high as the other competitors,” he continued in an effort 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 did better.”
Despite Raygun’s family’s enthusiasm for her routine, the breakdancer was widely criticised for her routine and uniform, both of which were distinctly Australian.
That included hopping like a kangaroo, slithering like a snake and even using “the sprinkler,” an iconic Australian dance movie widely used by men who can’t dance.
Raygun admitted after the event that he could not compete athletically with the tricks and spins of his younger opponents.
Sharon and Andrew Free are Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn’s in-laws
“What I wanted to do was come here and do something new, different and creative – that’s my strength, my creativity,” he said.
Back home, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Gunn when asked about criticism of his routine.
“Raygun got a chance, good for her, and a big shout out to her,” he 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.
“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.
Raygun is a Professor at Macquarie University in Sydney in the 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 it went viral, noting that he received taxpayer subsidies to study breakdancing at the institution.
“There has been a lot of talk about Australia’s breakdancing representative at the Olympics,” Senator Rennick posted.
‘I’m more interested in her current profession. She attended Macquarie University for her BA in contemporary music, graduating in 2009, and her PhD in cultural studies, graduating in 2017.
‘Raygun’s PhD focused on ‘the intersection of gender and Sydney break 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 subsidising universities to study or teach it,” he continued.
‘By the way, I have nothing against break dancing. It is certainly an acceptable recreational activity, but nothing more. It should not be subsidised.
‘The question also arises: how many obscure and meaningless courses are offered by universities and subsidised by taxpayers?
“This also shows that having a PhD in something doesn’t mean you’re good at it.”