Australia’s Chef de Mission Anna Meares has hit out at criticism of Rachael Gunn after the breakdancer was ridiculed on-line and in mainstream media for her efficiency within the sport’s Olympic debut in Paris.
Gunn, a 36-year-old Australian college lecturer recognized in breaking as b-girl Raygun, misplaced all three of her round-robin battles by a mixed rating of 54-0 on Friday.
“I really like Rachael, and I feel that what has occurred on social media with trolls and keyboard warriors, and taking these feedback and giving them airtime, has been actually disappointing,” Meares mentioned at a information convention Saturday. “Raygun is a fully beloved member of this Olympic crew. She has represented the Olympic crew, the Olympic spirit with nice enthusiasm. And I completely love her braveness. I really like her character, and I really feel very disillusioned for her, that she has come below the assault that she has.”
Gunn rapidly achieved web fame whereas competing in opposition to some b-girls half her age. Her unconventional strikes landed flat whereas failing to match the ability degree of her foes.
At one level, Gunn raised one leg whereas standing and leaned again along with her arms bent towards her ears. At one other, whereas laying on her aspect, she reached for her toes, flipped over and did it once more in a transfer dubbed “the kangaroo.”
“I used to be by no means going to beat these women on what they do greatest — their energy strikes,” Gunn mentioned. “What I convey is creativity.”
Clips of her routine have gone viral on TikTok and elsewhere, and lots of cringed at her strikes platformed on the Olympic stage as a illustration of hip-hop and breaking tradition.
Gunn has a Ph.D. in cultural research, and her LinkedIn web page notes she is ” within the cultural politics of breaking.” She mentioned she took the criticism and mockery in stride.
“All of my strikes are authentic,” she advised reporters. “Creativity is de facto vital to me. I am going on the market, and I present my artistry. Generally it speaks to the judges, and typically it does not. I do my factor, and it represents artwork. That’s what it’s about.”
Meares mentioned the criticism of Gunn’s efficiency and look was per the form of misogynistic abuse that girls athletes have suffered over the previous century as they fought for his or her house within the sporting world.
“In 2008, she was locked in a room crying being concerned in a male-dominated sport as the one lady, and it took nice braveness for her to proceed on and battle for her alternative to take part in a sport that she beloved,” mentioned Meares, a former Olympic champion bike owner. “That bought her to successful the Olympic qualifying occasion to be right here in Paris. She is the very best breakdancer feminine that we’ve got for Australia.”
Reuters and The Related Press contributed to this report.