Featured Image Credit: Ezra Shaw/Getty Images/Elsa/Getty Images
Topics: Australia, Olympics, Social Media, Sport
Poppy Bilderbeck
Topics: Australia, Olympics, Social Media, Sport
Australian breakdancer Raygun's father-in-law has spoken out in her defense, arguing the judges 'didn't award' two important aspects of her routine.
If you haven't yet seen a clip of Rachael Gunn's 2024 Paris Olympic Games routine for the breakdancing category, then you've been living under a rock.
The 36-year-old's routine not only went viral for its creative flair, but also as a result of the judges being left far from impressed, with Gunn unfortunately scoring a total of zero points across all three bouts she took part in.
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After winning the Oceania Breaking Championships in 2023, Gunn qualified for the 2024 Olympics, bringing her coach - and also husband - Samuel Free, along with her to the games.
Despite how Gunn explained she wanted to come out and 'do something new and different and creative', her routine didn't land well with judges.
A judge told News Corp while they were 'sorry' to see Gunn get a grand total of zero, acknowledging the 'breaking and hip hop community definitely stands behind her,' ultimately, the score came down to the fact Gunn's 'level was maybe not as high as the other competitors'.
"Again, we're using a comparative judging system. Her competitors were just better but it doesn't mean that she did really bad. She did her best," they added.
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As a result of the response Gunn's performance received on social media, general secretary of the World DanceSport Federation Sergei Nifontov said the dancer is being offered mental health support in the wake of the games.
And now her father-in-law has hit out, specifically at the judge's decision to not award Gunn so much as a single point for her routine.
In a post to Facebook on Saturday (August 10), responding to a friend, Andrew Free said, as quoted by Fox News: "She did not get through the preliminary round to the finals.
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"It was a pretty stacked competition and the judges were clearly looking for a certain style of breaking which is not Rachael’s.
"Although they are supposed to mark five different aspects with each having the same weighting [Technique, execution, musicality, originality and vocabulary], in my obviously biased opinion they did not reward originality and musicality so she was up against it.
"The main thing is she represented Australia and breaking at the Olympics with courage and dignity. It comes naturally for some of them, not so much for Rachael. It is part of the culture."
UNILAD has contacted the Olympics for comment.
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If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, help is available through Mental Health America. Call or text 988 to reach a 24-hour crisis center or you can webchat at 988lifeline.org. You can also reach the Crisis Text Line by texting MHA to 741741.