B-Girl “Raygun” didn’t take too kindly to becoming an internet meme after her breakdancing routine went viral and Anna Meares, Australia’s chef de mission at the Olympics, certainly didn’t either.
“I love Rachael, and I think that what has occurred on social media with trolls and keyboard warriors, and taking those comments and giving them airtime, has been really disappointing,” Meares told reporters Saturday. “Raygun is an absolutely loved member of this Olympic team. She has represented the Olympic team, the Olympic spirit with great enthusiasm. And I absolutely love her courage. I love her character, and I feel very disappointed for her, that she has come under the attack that she has.”
The breakdancer, whose real name is Rachael Gunn, is a 36-year-old university lecturer who made the Olympics as Oceania’s representative in the newly-minted sport.
She has a Ph.D. in cultural studies and her LinkedIn page says she is “interested in the cultural politics of breaking.”
She lost all three of her round-robin battles by a combined 54-0 scorꦏe.
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Her routine, though, shot across the internet, particularly a move called “the kangaroo” in which Gunn laid on her side, reached for her toes and flipped over.
“All my moves are original,” Gunn told reporters. “Creativity is really important to me. I go out there, and I show my artistry. Sometimes it speaks to the judges, and sometimes it doesn’t. I do my thing, and it represents art. That is what it’s all about.”
Gunn added that she was “never going to beat these girls” on more conventional moves, so wanted to try something different.
She, however, didn’t seem to enjoy the extra attention her routine received.
“Looking forward to the same level of scrutiny on wha♓t the b-boys wear tomorrow,” Gunn wrote on Instagram on Friday.
Meares, however, found the conve⛦rsation around🅘 her routine to be disheartening.
“In 2008, she was locked in a room crying being involved in a male-dominated sport as the only woman, and it took great courage for her to continue on and fight for her opportunity to participate in a sport that she loved,” Meares said. “That got her to winning the Olympic qualifying event to be here in Paris. She is the best breakdancer female that we have for Australia.