Australian breaker Rachael Gunn responds to 'devastating' online criticism
Australian breaking competitor Rachael Gunn - known as B-Girl Raygun - responded to the ongoing criticism she has been receiving online since her performance at the Olympic Games.
In a video which she posted on Instagram on Thursday, the 36-year-old Sydney University professor thanked those who have supported her and said she was honoured to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team.
"I really appreciate the positivity and I am glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives."
"I didn't realise that that would also open the door to to much hate which has frankly been pretty devastating," she added.
In response to the allegations made about her, Gunn said: "I'd like to ask everyone to please refer to the recent statement made by the AOC as well as the posts on the Ausbreaking Instagram page as well as the WDSF breaking for gold page."
"Bit of a fun fact for you: there are actually no points in breaking. If you want to see how the judges thought I compared to my opponents, you can actually see the comparison percentages across all five criteria on Olympics.com, all the results are there," she said.
Gunn asked the press for privacy in the coming weeks.
The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) criticised an anonymous online petition attacking Gunn on Thursday.
Amassing more than 45,000 signatures, those behind the petition claim Gunn had "manipulated" Olympic qualification processes.
The AOC said the petition was “vexatious, misleading and bullying.”
Among other questionable moves, Gunn scored zero points for her “kangaroo dance” during her routine at the Paris Olympics.
She was subsequently heavily criticised for her performance with parodies even being played out on a late night television show in the United States.
Gunn, who has not yet returned to Australia following the Games, received strong support from Australian team chef de mission Anna Meares while still in Paris.
On Thursday, the AOC went a major step further, refuting numerous erroneous stories it says have appeared online since.
Criticism included suggestions the Oceania qualifying event held in Sydney last October was set up to favour Gunn, and questioned the judging which allowed her to qualify.
The AOC said on Thursday that the Oceania qualifying event was conducted under the Olympic qualification system determined by the international governing body, World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) and approved by International Olympic Committee.
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Chief executive officer Matt Carroll said the the AOC had written to change.org, which had published the petition, demanding that it be immediately withdrawn.
Carroll says the petition “contained numerous falsehoods designed to engender hatred against an athlete who was selected in the Australian Olympic team through a transparent and independent qualification event and nomination process.”
"It is disgraceful that these falsehoods concocted by an anonymous person can be published in this way," he added.
Unattributed social media comments also suggested Gunn and her husband, fellow breaker Samuel Free, had held positions within Australian breaking organisations.
"Rachael Gunn holds no position with AUSBreaking or DanceSport Australia in any capacity," the AOC said on Thursday. "She is simply an athlete who competed in the qualifying event which she won."
The sport of breaking made its Olympic debut in the Paris Games this year. It is not on the competition list for the next Olympics in Los Angeles in 2028.
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