Olympic breakdancer Dr Rachel Gunn has been accused by sporting heavyweights of “deliberately aiming for zero” and behaving “disrespectfully” towards other Australian athletes.
The harsh criticism contrasts with growing calls for Gunn, known around the competition as “Ray Gunn,” to be fired despite her poor performance in Paris.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has offered his support to Mr Gunn, a cultural studies academic at Sydney’s Macquarie University.
“It’s an Australian tradition. She represented our country in the challenge and that’s a good thing,” he said.
Gunn lost all of her round-robin matches at the Paris Olympics against the United States, France and Lithuania by scores of 18-0, 18-0 and 18-0.
Her unique breaking style has since become a hot topic on social media.
Fans also mocked Gunn’s uniform – an Australian Olympic tracksuit – which stood out among competitors who were mostly wearing street clothes.
Gunn initially faced criticism for her performance, but the criticism gradually subsided after the breakdancing judges said her lack of points was not down to her ability.
“It’s shameful.”
But colleague Professor Megan Davis slammed Gunn, claiming her main purpose for going to Paris was to “carry out grant-funded academic research”.
Professor Davis was a key figure in the Uluru Statement from the Heart, which proposed a voice to Parliament that was rejected in last year’s referendum.
She is vice-chancellor of the University of New South Wales and also sits on the Australian Rugby League Board, which governs the NRL.
“Intentionally scoring zeros in three rounds for taxpayer-funded academic research, whether at university or Olympic level, is not funny or ‘challenging,'” Professor Davis said on social media. “(It) is disrespectful to other competitors. I’m glad most Australians aren’t being fooled.”
Mr Davis added that Gunn’s rehabilitation had been driven by the “mainstream media”, which had re-positioned her as a “fun Australian woman”.
“Wealthy, comfortable life, well-educated, no cares of the world, nothing really wrong, what a fun, what a fun Australian woman, lol,” Ms Davis said.
2024 Paris Olympics
However, The Australian reported that the only funding Gunn received from public institutions was for travel to Olympic venues and he does not appear to have received any funding for academic travel.
Neither the Australian Sports Commission nor Macquarie University supported her trip to Paris.
The Australian Olympic Committee funded Gunn’s travel costs to Paris, and Sydney City Council has awarded Gunn a $20,278 grant in 2022 to study “Space for Streetdance”.
Protected by Raygun
Ahead of Sunday’s closing ceremony, breaking judge chairman Martin Gillian, who performs as “MGbility,” said Raegan’s score wasn’t an indication she gave a terrible performance and that the breaking community was “definitely rooting for her.”
“Breaking is all about originality, bringing something new and representing your country or region,” he said.
“That’s exactly what Raegan was doing. She took inspiration from her surroundings, in this case, kangaroos.”
MGbility said there were five criteria the judges considered when making their decision, and that Reagan’s level “may not have been as high as her competitors.”
“But that doesn’t mean she didn’t do well. She did her best. She won the Oceania qualifier,” he said. “Unfortunately for her, the other B-girls were better.”
