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Rachael “Raygun” Gunn Ezra Shaw/Getty Photos
The Australian breaking group AUSBreak is defending Olympic breaker Raygun from allegations that she cheated to land a spot on the 2024 Paris video games.
Raygun, 36 — actual identify Rachael Gunn — sparked controversy after her efficiency on the Olympics earlier this month, the place she misplaced her three breaking matches by 54-0.
In a statement launched Tuesday, August 12, AUSBreak declared that the choice course of for Australia’s breaking crew aligned with Worldwide Olympic Committee requirements to “guarantee a good and clear final result.”
The group acknowledged that the judges on the October 2023 tryouts used “the identical judging system on the Paris Video games and educated to uphold the very best requirements of impartiality. These judges are all extremely revered of their respective communities and within the worldwide Breaking scene.”
“Finally, Rachael Gunn and Jeff Dunne emerged as the highest performers in precisely the identical course of, securing their spots to signify Australia in Paris,” the message continued. “Their choice was based mostly solely on their efficiency of their battles on that day. Within the leadup to Paris, Raygun used her platform because the Australian Breaking consultant to constantly advocate within the media for Breaking’s historical past, creative and athletic values, and its cultural origins.”
In closing, AUSBreak doubled down on its help for Raygun, saying, “We condemn the worldwide on-line harassment and bullying of Raygun. The strain to carry out on the Olympic stage is immense, particularly in opposition to the opponents in her explicit group. We stand in solidarity with Raygun.”
In the meantime, Raygun’s critics are requesting that she be held accountable for her viral routine, through which the athlete seemingly did toe touches as she laid on one facet and slid throughout the ground.
A petition created on Sunday, August 11, accuses Raygun and Anna Meares, Australia’s chef de mission, of rigging “the choice course of to her personal benefit. Regardless of the clear expertise and qualification of different excellent feminine breakdancers like G Clef and Holy Molly, they had been unfairly neglected,” the petition states. “The NT Youlong Boys, a gaggle of extremely gifted and underprivileged youth from the Northern Territory, had been denied essential funding by Dr. Gunn to attend the qualifiers — a choice that immediately impacted their likelihood to showcase their abilities on a nationwide stage.”
Amid the outrage, Raygun’s teammate has come to her protection. “All I do know is she represented onerous,” Jeff “J Assault” Dunne informed the Herald Sun on Monday, August 12. “She has been the main breaker in Australia for the ladies and I acknowledge her and respect her one hundred pc.”
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