Raygun’s Olympic breakdancing teammate Jeff ‘J Attack’ Dunne has come to her defence as the controversy continues following the Australian’s performance in Paris.
Last weekend, the sport of breakdancing made its Olympic debut and one of the enduring images was the performance of Raygun: Rachael Gunn, a 36-year-old university lecturer from Sydney.
She did a ‘kangaroo dance’ among other questionable moves during her routine and earned zero points.
Gunn was later heavily criticized for her performance and was even parodies on a late-night television show in the United States.
But her teammate has now broken her silence on her routine and insisted she was more than qualified to represent her country.
Raygun’s Olympic breakdancing teammate Jeff ‘J Attack’ Dunne has come to his defence.
Breakdancer Raygun’s performance went viral, sparking brutal online trolling.
“All I know is that she represented hard,” J Attack, 16, he told the Herald Sun.
“She’s been Australia’s best female breaker and I recognise and respect her 100 per cent.”
Raygun has kept a low profile since the closing ceremony, staying under the radar by vacationing with her husband and coach Samuel Free rather than returning home to Australia with her fellow Olympians.
On Thursday, Gunn broke her silence, saying she was heartbroken by the “pretty devastating” online hate she’s received in the days since her routine went viral.
He also commented on the resulting backlash and the “misinformation” that has circulated about his selection in the Australian team.
“Hey everyone, this is Raygun,” he said in a video posted to Instagram. “I just want to start off by thanking all the people who have supported me.
‘I really appreciate the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives, that’s what I was hoping for.
On Thursday, Raygun spoke out for the first time since going viral at the Paris Olympics.
Nearly 50,000 people have signed a petition demanding he be held accountable.
‘I didn’t realize that would also open the door to a lot of hate, which, frankly, has been pretty devastating.
‘I went out and had fun, but I took it very seriously. I worked really hard preparing for the Olympics and I gave it my all. I really did.
“I’m honoured to have been part of the Australian Olympic team and to have participated in breaking’s Olympic debut. What the other athletes have achieved has been phenomenal.”
Raygun then turned her attention to conspiracy theories that have emerged online regarding her performance, with some suggesting she participated as part of a “social experiment.”
Nearly 50,000 people have also signed a petition on change.org calling for for “immediate accountability and transparency into recent actions” by Gunn and Paris chef de mission Anna Meares over how Gunn won selection to represent Australia in Paris.
The call to action accuses the 36-year-old of “manipulating the selection process for her own benefit” so that she could be chosen over other, more talented Australian breakout performers, an allegation described as “raising serious questions about the fairness and integrity of the process”.
No evidence has been provided to support the petition’s claims.
The petition has been criticized by AOC and she responded with 12 debunkers.
AOC boss Matt Carroll said the petition, which demands a public apology from Gunn and Meares, is “appalling” and has “no basis in fact.”
“Regarding the accusations and misinformation circulating, I would like to ask everyone to check out the recent statement made by AOC, as well as the posts on Ausbreaking’s Instagram page, as well as the WDSF breaking for gold page,” Raygun said.
She also attempted to debunk claims that she had not scored any points in her three battles, saying: “Fun fact: there are actually no points in breaking. If you want to see how the judges thought compared to my opponents, you can see the comparison percentages in all five criteria on Olympics.com, all the results are there.”
At the time of publication, Raygun He still has zero points in the official Olympic Games website while its American opponent, Logistx, has two.
‘I’ll be in Europe for a few weeks, during some pre-planned downtime, but I’d like to ask the press to please stop harassing my family, my friends, the Australian breakdance community and the street dance community at large. We’ve all been through a lot as a result of this, so I’d like to ask you to respect their privacy.
“I’ll be happy to answer further questions when I return to Australia.”