The family of Olympic breaker Rachael “RayGun” Gunn has voiced concerns about the judges at the debut breaking event of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

As the first female Australian representative in this sport, the 36-year-old received a disappointing 0 points across three rounds in the round-robin competition. Leading up to the Olympics, Gunn was coached by her husband and fellow breaker Samuel Free—which is undeniably endearing. According to the Daily Mail, Samuel’s father, Andrew, expressed his support for his daughter-in-law on social media.

“The competition was quite tough, and the judges clearly favored a specific style of breaking that isn’t Rachael’s,” he reportedly stated in what seems to be a now-deleted comment.

“Though they are supposed to evaluate five different aspects equally, in my admittedly biased opinion, they didn’t properly reward originality and musicality, which put her at a disadvantage.

“The important thing is that she represented Australia and breaking at the Olympics with bravery and grace.”

Despite her low score, Olympic head judge Martin Gilian—also known as MGbility—commended Gunn for her unique style.

“Breaking is all about originality and introducing something fresh while representing your country or region,” he told CNN. 

“Raygun was precisely doing that. She drew inspiration from her environment, which in this instance included a kangaroo.”

Although Gilian acknowledged that her skill level might not match the other competitors, he emphasized that she earned her place in the competition fairly, just like everyone else.

“That doesn’t mean she performed poorly. She gave it her all. She won the Oceania qualifier. Unfortunately, the other B-girls were superior,” he added.

“She was striving to be original and introduce something new. From our perspective, it wasn’t particularly shocking.”

I have a myriad of mixed feelings about Gunn’s Olympic performance. On one side, it’s an amusingly brilliant performance piece and an example of someone wholeheartedly giving it a go. Yet on the other, was Gunn truly the best choice as our nation’s inaugural breaking representative? Breaking has deep connections to hip-hop and Black culture, so it would have been meaningful to see a POC in that role.

In any case, it’s crucial to recognize that while having a laugh is fine, the bullying Gunn has faced is unacceptable. Let’s strive to maintain mindfulness and composure, shall we?