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Viral Australian breakdancer Rachel ‘Raygun’ Gunn under fire for manipulating Olympic selection process

Brian Jones Profile Picby:Brian Jones•08/13/24•

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Raygun Rachel Gunn
Rob Schumacher-USA TODAY Sports

Rachel “Raygun” Gunn, an Australian breakdancer who competed in the Paris Olympics, is under fire for how she qualified for the games. A petition on Change.org was recently published for Raygun to be held accountable for her actions.

“Rachel Gunn, who set up her own governing body for breakdancing, has manipulated the selection process to her own advantage,” the petition states. “Despite the clear talent and qualification of other outstanding female breakdancers like G Clef and Holy Molly, they were unfairly overlooked. The NT Youlong Boys, a group of incredibly talented and underprivileged youth from the Northern Territory, were denied crucial funding by Dr. Gunn to attend the qualifiers—a decision that directly impacted their chance to showcase their skills on a national stage.”

“Disturbingly, Dr. Gunn went on to win her own qualifier, defeating other phenomenal breakdancers, raising serious questions about the fairness and integrity of the process. If Dr. Gunn’s husband is indeed the Australian coach and part of the selection panel, this represents a blatant conflict of interest that cannot go unchecked.”

The petition goes on to say that Raygun should issue a “public apology” for “misleading the Australian public and attempting to gaslight the public and undermining the efforts of genuine athletes. As of Tuesday afternoon, the petition has nearly 13,000 signatures with the goal being 15,000.

Rachel ‘Raygun’ Gunn defends viral Olympic performance

Raygun’s performance during the Olympics caught the attention of many. According to Business Insider, some critics argued that the 36-year-old’s performance didn’t represent breaking, a sport that made its debut in the Paris Olympics but will not return for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles. Raygun’s moves went viral on social media as some compared them to children dancing.

Gunn did not make it past the first round of the Olympics. During a press conference on Saturday, Raygun said “all of my moves are original” and her biggest strength is “creativity.” She told The Guardian: “I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get that in a lifetime to do that on an international stage. I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.”

Along with being a breakdancer, Raygun is an academic who works at Macquarie University. In June of last year, Raygun published an article for Global Hip Hop Studies titled, “The Australian breaking scene and the Olympic Games: The possibilities and politics of sportification.” Before getting into breaking, Raygun had experiwnce with ballroom dancing, jazz, hip-hop, salsa, and tap. She married fellow breakdancer Samuel Free in 2008.