Raygun accused of 'disrespecting' Olympics in fresh storm around Aussie breaking sensation

Every man, woman and child has seemingly had their say on the viral Aussie breakdancing sensation known as 'Raygun', whose bizarre Olympics routine has taken the world by storm. Many have cruelly labelled Rachael Gunn’s breakdancing displays at the Paris Games cringeworthy and embarrassing, while others such as Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the breakdancing community have praised the 36-year-old university lecturer for having a go and bringing something unique to the competition.

But in an explosive twist to one of the most hotly discussed topics from the Olympics, a senior Australian sports official has now accused Raygun of deliberately scoring three consecutive zeros and using the Paris Games as a study trip subsidised by the tax payer. Fellow academic Professor Megan Davis - who is a vice chancellor at the University of New South Wales and sits on the Australian Rugby League Commission - claims Raygun disrespected the sport and her fellow competitors.

“Getting zero points on purpose in three rounds for an academic study subsidised by the taxpayer both at a university and Olympic level isn’t funny and isn’t ‘having a go’,” Prof Davis said on social media. “(It’s) disrespectful to other competitors. I’m glad most Aussies aren’t buying the Kool-Aid”.

The extraordinary swipe comes in stark contrast to reports from The Australian that claim Raygun didn't receive any government funding for an academic trip, just the money she received from a public organisation to cover her travel expenses. The Australian Olympic Committee funded Gunn’s travel to Paris like it does with all the nation's athletes competing in Paris.

But it's understood Macquarie University - where Gunn works as a lecturer - did not contribute any funds for her travel to Paris. The 36-year-old was awarded a $20,278 grant by the City of Sydney Council in 2022 to research “Spaces for Street Dance”, but Prof Davis' angry swipe at the Aussie breakdancer doesn't appear to stack up.

Breaking head judge defends Raygun after Olympics backlash

It comes after the head judge of the breaking competition in Paris said the 36-year-old university professor was just trying to be original. Head judge Martin Gilian - known as MGbility - praised Raygun for her originality and said the reason she receives three consecutive scores of zero wasn't because she was bad, just that the 36-year-old competitors were better.

"Breaking is all about originality and bringing something new to the table and representing your country or region," head judge Martin Gilian - known as MGbility - said at a press conference on Sunday as the Olympics came to a close. "This is exactly what Raygun was doing. She got inspired by her surroundings, which in this case, for example, was a kangaroo."

One of the lasting images of the Paris Olympics was Raygun's performance, after she did a "kangaroo dance" and scored zero points. She lost all three of her round-robin battles by a combined score of 54-0, prompting a hostile response. The international breaking federation reached out to offer mental health support for Raygun in the wake of global backlash and MGbility said the breaking and hip-hop communities "definitely stand behind her.

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"We have five criteria in the competitive judging system and just her level was maybe not as high as the other competitors. But again, that doesn't mean that she did really bad. She did her best. She won the Oceania qualifier. ... Unfortunately for her, the other b-girls were better."

Sergey Nifontov, the general secretary of the World DanceSport Federation, said they had been in direct contact with Gunn and Australian Olympic team official to offer support. "We offered (the) support of our safe-guarding officer," he said. "We are aware about what has happened, especially on social media, and definitely we should put the safety of the athlete, in this case, mental safety in first place. She has us as a federation supporting her."