Did Raygun, Viral Australian Breakdancer, Rig Her Way to the Paris Olympics? Here’s the Full Story

Arriving briefly in the Paris Olympics 2024, breakdancing generated a lot of controversy and disappointment. With Rachael "Raygun" Gunn at the core of the debate, the urban dance style supposed to appeal to sportsmen has departed the Olympics in a cloud of condemnation and won’t be part of the next Olympics.

Raygun was popular during the Parisian breaking competition at Place de la Concorde. Critics and fans remarked that she dressed differently for the sport, that she was 36 years old—much older than most of her Paris Olympics rivals—and that her performances were weak, which caused a great online buzz. Raygun was eliminated in the group rounds after three games without a point. A few days after the Olympics, the B-girl was charged again.

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Rachael "Raygun" Gunn has denied allegations of nepotism regarding her selection

Many people have watched a video on TikTok that charges Gunn gravely and Change.org has a petition asking for punishment for the b-girl and Australian Chef de Mission for Paris 2024, Anna Meares. The video touches on this.

The petition claims that Gunn created her own regulating body and affected the Olympic choice process, therefore manipulating the Australian breakdancing competition. She is accused of running her own qualification tournament and failing to provide other potential opponents with the tools they need to compete in order to be selected to represent Australia at the Olympics.

The video also notes that Samuel Free, Gunn's husband, coached the Australian breakdancing squad and was part of the selecting panel. 

 However, the Sydney Morning Herald disproved these assertions, clarifying that neither Gunn nor Free were involved in the formation of the Australian Breaking Association.  Prior to departing for the competition in Paris, Gunn provided insight into the selection process in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, which was published on August 12.

“I won the Oceania qualifier, and by winning that competition, I got the direct spot to Paris. That was a really intense, really stressful but really amazing competition.”

AusBreaking, the committee for break dance in Australia offered a comprehensive explanation and strong justification surrounding Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn's eligibility for the Olympics. (Via Mirror):

‘The selection process for Australia’s breaking team heading to Paris was conducted over two days, and open to all interested participants in the Oceanic region,’ AusBreaking said.

‘Adhering to World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) regulations, which align with International Olympic Committee (IOC) standards, the process aimed to ensure a fair and transparent outcome.

‘A panel of nine international adjudicators, a head judge and a chairperson who oversaw the competition, using the same judging system at the Paris Games and trained to uphold the highest standards of impartiality.

‘These judges are all highly respected in their respective communities and in the international breaking scene.

‘Ultimately, Rachael Gunn and Jeff Dunne emerged as the top performers in exactly the same process, securing their spots to represent Australia in Paris. Their selection was based solely on their performance in their battles on that day.

‘In the lead-up to Paris, Raygun used her platform as the Australian Breaking representative to consistently advocate in the media for breaking’s history, artistic and athletic values, and its cultural origins.

‘We condemn the global online harassment and bullying of Raygun. The pressure to perform on the Olympic stage is immense, especially against the opponents in her particular group. We stand in solidarity with Raygun.’

Even though Raygun made headlines with her performance, the Australian won't be able to repeat it in 2028 in Los Angeles since breaking has already been cancelled, according to Olympic authorities.