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"There wasn't enough B-girls to fill top 16" - Australian B-girl weighs in on Olympic Selection Criteria following Raygun's Paris Olympics performance
Australian breakdancer Leah Clark recently weighed in on the selection of Rachael Louise Gunn, competitively known as Raygun, after the latter featured at the 2024 Paris Olympics. Competing in Group B, Raygun lost all her group round-robin matches, failing to earn a single point at the quadrennial Games.
After her breakdancing clips went viral, fans were shocked with some questioning how she qualified for such a prestigious multi-sport event. However, Leah Clark, another B-girl, spoke about the 36-year-old's selection after her appearance at the Paris Olympics.
In an interview with The Guardian Australia, Clark said:
“There wasn’t even enough B-girls to fill the top 16.”
She also believed that several technical factors came into play that prevented many of Australia’s top B-girls from participating in the Olympic qualifying tournament for the Paris Olympics.
These factors included the short notice between the event’s announcement and its occurrence, the need to register with three separate bodies, and the requirement for a valid passport.
According to the report by The Guardian Australia, Gunn’s performance at the Paris Olympics has not just witnessed the B-girl facing backlash, but also the entire Australian B-girl community. Other B-girls, including Clark, have reportedly received online criticism and hatred.
Leah Clark also expressed empathy for Raygun amid the global backlash the latter received and also voiced her disappointment with the reaction to the aftermath of Raygun's performance, adding:
“We feel for Rachael [Louise Gunn], and we hope that she’s okay with the hate that she’s getting, but at the same time, we’re disappointed.”
It is worth noting that Breaking made its debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics, with B-boy Phil Wizard from Canada and B-girl Ami from Japan claiming the gold medals. However, it won’t be a part of the Los Angeles Olympics in 2028 since the host city didn’t opt for the sport to be a part of the quadrennial Games.
How did Australian breakdancer Raygun qualify for the Paris Olympics?
Raygun qualified for the Australian team at the Paris Olympics by winning the Oceania Breaking Championship, which was held in Sydney in October 2023. The event took place under the Olympic qualification system established by the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF), the global governing body for the sport, and approved by the International Olympic Committee (IOC).
Following her victory at the competition, she was chosen to represent the nation at the Paris Olympics through an official nomination by DanceSport Australia, which oversees multiple DanceSport events in the country, to the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC).
The competition also saw the participation of athletes from not only Australia but also New Zealand, Papua New Guinea, and Fiji.
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