Rachael Gunn has been accused of deliberately scoring zero points for Australia at the Olympic Games.
The sensational claim came from Indigenous leader and sports administrator Megan Davis as the Australian breakdancer’s disastrous performance in Paris continues to divide opinion.
Gunn, 36, who uses the stage name Raygun, was mercilessly mocked for her ’embarrassing’ performance who saw her score three zeros in a row at the sport’s Olympic debut.
Her mental health is being closely monitored amid the online attacks after fans criticised the creative arts researcher at Sydney’s Macquarie University, who specialises in “the cultural politics of breakdancing”.
Amid all the insults, Raygun has also gained a lot of new fans, who have given her plenty of praise for her performance against rivals more than half her age.
But Davis, an NRL commissioner and a key force behind the Uluru Statement from the Heart, stands firmly on the other side of the political spectrum and described the academic’s achievements as a “disgrace”.
“Deliberately getting zero points in three rounds for a taxpayer-funded academic study, both at university and Olympic level, is not funny and is not ‘worth trying’,” she said on social media via The Australian‘(It’s) disrespectful to other competitors.
‘I’m glad most Australians aren’t buying the Kool-Aid.
‘This is a totally mainstream media driven story. Because they see themselves in her. Wealthy, comfortable living, educated, no worries in the world, nothing really matters, what a laugh, what a nice Australian girl, laugh laugh.’
Indigenous leader accuses Raygun of deliberately scoring zero points in Paris
The 36-year-old Australian breaker suffered a disastrous performance at the Olympics
Queensland Senator Gerard Rennick announced on Monday that Gunn has received government funding to study breaking at university.
He quoted Raygun’s official Macquarie University profile in a Facebook post after she went viral, pointing out that she received taxpayer money to study breakdancing at the institution.
“There is a lot of talk about Australia’s breakdancing representative at the Olympics,” Senator Rennick posted.
‘I’m more interested in her actual profession. She studied at Macquarie University for her BA in Contemporary Music, graduating in 2009, and her PhD in Cultural Studies, graduating in 2017.
The Australian has revealed that Gunn has not received any funding from the Australian Sports Commission or Macquarie University. The only government grant she has received is from November 2022: a one-year installment of $20,278 to lead a research study called ‘Spaces for Street Dance’.
The Australian Olympic Committee paid for her flights to and from Paris.
The ASC has provided more than $47 million in grants to support some of the athletes who competed in the Games, but the funding report states that Gunn has not received any financial support.
Gunn’s credentials as a breaker have also been questioned. She earned her spot in Paris by winning last year’s Oceania Breaking Championships and has also competed in the world championships in Paris in 2021, Seoul in 2022 and Belgium last year.
But she was embraced by her fellow Olympians during the closing ceremony on Sunday
However, her selection has sparked a debate about the inclusion of sport in Australia
However, critics have suggested that Raygun’s choice is a reflection of the ‘whiteness’ of Australian sporting culture.
“There are incredible dancers in places like Western Sydney (just one example), where Black and people of colour are honing their skills and craft in arenas that are not recognised by the establishment,” Neha Madhok, co-founder and former CEO of the political advocacy group Democracy in Colour, wrote on social media.
‘This is a reflection of the whiteness of Australian sport and Australian attitudes.
“We could have sent incredible people, the talent is absolutely there, but you have to go to where the people are.”
Raygun is also being defended, with Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praising her for putting her best foot forward in Paris.
“Raygun made a good move, well done and a big compliment to her,” he told reporters in Adelaide on Sunday.
“That’s in the Australian tradition of people trying. She’s tried to represent our country, and that’s a good thing.
“Whether they won gold medals or just did their best, that’s all we asked. It’s the participation that really matters.”
