Olympics 2024: Australian breakdancer Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn’s father-in-law takes aim at judges

Breakdancer Rachael "Raygun" Gunn may have scored zero points at the Paris Olympics but her family and Australia's Prime Minister have defended her performances. Photo / Getty Images

• Rachael Gunn, also known as Raygun, received no points in her Olympic breakdancing debut in Paris.
• Gunn’s father-in-law, Andrew Free, criticised judges for not rewarding her “originality and musicality”.
• Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Gunn for her effort and representing Australia with courage.

Family of Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn have broken their silence by taking aim at the Olympics breaking judges.

The 36-year-old, also known as Raygun, failed to score a single point in her three round-robin battles in Paris as breaking made its debut as an Olympic sport last week.

Her performance, which included hopping like a kangaroo, quickly sent social media into a frenzy, leading to waves of criticism targeted at the Macquarie University lecturer with a PhD in cultural studies.

News.com.au reported Gunn’s father-in-law, Andrew Free, took to social media at the weekend to defend the Olympian and criticise breaking judges who “did not reward originality and musicality”.

“It was a pretty stacked competition and the judges were clearly looking for a certain style of breaking which is not Rachael’s,” Free wrote.

“Although they are supposed to mark five different aspects with each having the same weighting, in my obviously biased opinion they did not reward originality and musicality so she was up against it.

“The main thing is she represented Australia and breaking at the Olympics with courage and dignity.

“It comes naturally for some of them, not so much for Rachael. It is part of the culture.”

Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also defended the under-fire Gunn when asked about criticisms of her performance on Sunday.

“Raygun had a crack, good on her, and a big shout out to her,” he said.

“That is in the Australian tradition of people having a go. She’s had a go representing our country, and that’s a good thing.

“Whether they’ve won gold medals or just done their best, that’s all we asked for. It’s the participating that is really important.”

Breakdancing will not make an appearance in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics.

AAP earlier reported Gunn said she knew she couldn’t compete athletically with her opponents’ tricks, spins and strength moves, so tried to be more creative.

“What I wanted to do was come out here and do something new and different and creative – that’s my strength, my creativity,” Gunn said.

“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.”