Bad breaking
BBC
Raygun tuck: No, not the shoulder move, the T-shirt inside sweatpants.
As the Olympic Games have broadened their scope from the traditional feats of speed and strength, which could be readily decided by objective measures such as time taken; distance thrown; and last man standing, they've progressedsports
and subjective measures of skill. I'm sure it's very clever, but synchronised swimming was the very nadir for me; dancing in a pool is totally fucking lame. And now we have synchronised diving; skateboarding; and breakdancing.
Breakdancing FFS!
And it's here that the latest upset in the fragility games has occurred. Australia's women's breaking hope, Rachael Gunn, 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
. I think that means she scored zero points. Possibly.
Unlike the other competitors, who were keeping it street cred—at the Olympics for crying out loud, can you get less street
than the Olympics?—she performed in her team tracksuit. This came in for some ridicule on social media, as did her routine, during which she bounced around on stage like a kangaroo and stood on her head at times.
I haven't watched her routine in its entirety, but from what little I have seen it seems pretty cringey. Nevertheless, the scorn levelled at Gunn was attacked by Australian Olympic great Anna Meares
:
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."
And why shouldn't they be given airtime, Anna? Are you the arbiter of all that people can and cannot say and do on social media?
Meares says the criticism of Gunn is laced in misogyny.
But of course it is dear. It has nothing to do with the hubris of someone making a mockery of themself on the world stage and having their arse handed back to them on a plate. (rolleyes)
In the light of the apparent vitriol levelled at Gunn, fellow breakers and Australia's prime minister rushed to her defence.
Speaking to media on Sunday, Australia's leader Anthony Albanese said the attacks levelled at Gunn were not in keeping with the spirit of the Games. "The Olympics is about people participating in sport... and Raygun had a crack, good on her."
Hannah Ritchie, BBC News
I cheerfully admit to having an above-average cynicism towards the Olympic Games. I believe they're a waste of public resources for the aggrandisement of a privileged few. But that's beside the point. If they're anything noble, they are the epitome of the best of the best pitted against each other. They are not simply people participating in sport
, having a crack at it
.
Having a crack
or a go
is the realm of dabblers and enthusiasts. It's a local tournament, am-dram, or karaoke, not an elite international sporting event.
When Eddie the Eagle bombed spectacularly at the '88 Calgary Winter Olympics, the IOC established new rules to prevent him from making a reappearance. I wonder what they have in store for Gunn? Given that breaking is not yet part of the programme for LA'28, they may just keep it that way.