Raygun does another breakout routine as Australian Olympic stars in Paris treat her like a cult hero during the closing ceremony
Raygun has resurfaced alongside her Australian teammates ahead of the Olympic closing ceremony, receiving cult hero treatment after she shows off yet another set of moves that have made her a viral sensation, but for all the wrong reasons.
The breakdancer, a 36-year-old married university lecturer whose real name is Rachael Gunn, has kept a low profile after her disastrous performance at the inaugural women’s competition put her in the news for all the wrong reasons.
But she was present at the closing ceremony on Sunday alongside her fellow Olympians, with video footage showing her performing her iconic moves to loud applause from her Australian teammates.
She was also lifted onto the shoulders of Australian rower Angus Widdicombe, where she imitated her infamous kangaroo dance move, sending fans around the world into hysterics.
A number of high-profile figures have come to Gunn’s defense following her performance, including Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who praised her for putting her best foot forward during the show.
“Raygun made a good move, well done and a big compliment to her,” he told reporters in Adelaide on Sunday.
“That’s in the Australian tradition of people trying. She’s tried to represent our country, and that’s a good thing.
“Whether they won gold medals or just did their best, that’s all we asked. It’s the participation that really matters.”
Australian breakdancer Raygun was spotted with her teammates before the closing ceremony
She was held aloft on the shoulders of a fellow Australian Olympian as she received a heart-warming round of applause from her countrymen ahead of the closing ceremony
Raygun made headlines around the world with her disastrous performance at the Olympics
Gunn lost all three of her round-robin bouts by a combined score of 54-0 and admitted afterwards that she could not compete athletically with the tricks and spins of her younger opponents.
Viewers were divided, but some praised Raygun for her go-for-it attitude and her approach to the Olympics.
“Hahaha, that’s cool… Well done,” someone posted.
“I would agree that Raygun’s heart was in it. Her love for the art was genuine. Her performance not so much, it made me think that there probably aren’t many Bgirls in Australia,” another viewer noted.
“You know what, yeah, her performance wasn’t the best, but in the end she’s going to make money off of it and be in the media for a while. I think she’ll win at the end of the day,” another added.
Others were furious.
“It’s not funny at all! Her antics, fake job and flashy PHD have cost taxpayers hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years,” one viewer fumed.
“What a joke. These Woke feminists put themselves first over talent. They could have promoted a child’s dreams but instead they chose themselves, including the people who approved of her,” another added.
“If this Raygun lady turns out to be a comedienne who somehow made her way through qualifying and into the Olympics, and was bad on purpose, that will be one of the greatest performances ever,” wrote another.
Earlier, Australian chef de mission Anna Meares criticised the ‘keyboard warriors’ for their bullying of Raygun.
Olympic champion Libby Trickett applauded Meares’ comments, sharing them on Instagram with the caption: “Thank you Anna Meares for being the adult in the room.”
“I wanted to come here and do something new, different and creative. That’s my strength, my creativity,” she said.
Gunn published a dissertation entitled ‘Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney’s Breakdancing Scene: A B-girl’s Experience of B-boying’.
The thesis questioned why there were so few female participants in the male-dominated world of sport, but spoke of sport as a ‘space that embraces difference’.
A leading breakdancing judge has now explained why Gunn failed to score a single point during her miserable performance at the Games.
Judge MGbility expressed his sympathy to the Australian who failed to score a single point.
“I personally feel very sorry,” MGbility told News Corp.
“The breaking and hip hop community is definitely behind her. She was just trying to bring something new, something original and something that represents her country.
“We’re sticking with her. We have five criteria in the comparative assessment system. Only her level was perhaps not as high as that of the other participants.
“Again, we’re using a comparative rating system. Her competitors were just better, but that doesn’t mean she did really bad. She did her best.”
Gunn hopped like a kangaroo, gaped at an opponent and performed the sprinkler, a routine MGbility felt best suited Australia as a nation.
“She represented Australia and Oceania and did her best,” she said.
The 36-year-old university lecturer failed to score a single point at the Olympic Games
“She officially won the qualification for Oceania. If some people are wondering how she got to the Olympics, she qualified from her region.
‘Unfortunately for her, the other b-girls were better. That’s why she didn’t score any votes in her rounds.
‘Breaking news is all about originality and bringing something new from your own country or region. And that’s exactly what Raygun did.
‘She was inspired by her surroundings, which in this case was, you know – kangaroo. The animal.
‘For breaking, if you’re looking for innovation or originality, you always look outside of dancing. Martial arts, how the animals move, everything.’
