Australian Olympic great Anna Meares says the social media mocking of a breaker for her routine and choice of clothing is “really disappointing”.
Rachael Gunn, 36, failed to win over the judges as she lost her three round-robin contests in the competitive form of breakdancing by an aggregate score of 54-0 on Friday.
The university lecturer – who competes under the name Raygun – wore a green and yellow Australian Olympic tracksuit, while her rivals were kitted out in streetwear as breaking made its debut as a Games event.
As well as criticising her attire, social media users mocked the Australian’s routine as she bounced around on stage like a kangaroo and stood on her head at times.
Explaining her performance, 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 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.”
Meares, a two-time Olympic cycling gold medallist who is the Australia team’s chef de mission in Paris, said of the criticism: “I think that what has occurred on social media with trolls and keyboard warriors, and taking those comments and giving them air time, has been really disappointing.”
Speaking at a news conference on Saturday, Meares said: “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.”
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Responding to the backlash on social media, Gunn said: “Don’t be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never where that’s gonna take you.”
Meares says the criticism of Gunn was evidence of misogyny.
“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.
Gunn appeared to agree with Meares’ sentiment, as she questioned whether male counterparts would be met with the same level of outrage for their clothing choices.
“Looking forward to the same level of scrutiny on what the b-boys wear tomorrow,” Gunn said on Friday.
In breaking, female participants are known as ‘b-girls’, while males are referred to as ‘b-boys’.
Breaking – a style of street dance that originated in 1970s New York – was announced in 2020 as part of the Olympic programme for Paris.
The event, which has been introduced to attract a younger audience to the Games, is not yet part of the programme for Los Angeles in 2028.
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