No, Raygun's Olympic selection not an inside job

Tom Wark August 13, 2024
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Rachael Gunn, known as Raygun, was selected to compete for Australia at the Paris Games Image by Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS

WHAT WAS CLAIMED

Breaker Raygun's husband was a judge at the Olympic qualifying event.

OUR VERDICT

False. Her husband was not a judge or involved in the Olympics selection process.

AAP FACTCHECK - Breaker Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn secured her place on the Australian Olympic team because her husband was the national selector and a judge at the qualifying event.

This is false. Her husband was not a judge and the qualifying event was open to all.

Ms Gunn went viral soon after her performance at the Paris Olympics in which she failed to score a point in the round-robin breaking competition (also known as breakdancing).

Raygun points to the Australian emblem after finihsing her routine.
Rachael Gunn, aka Raygun, was Australia's only representative in the female competition. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

However, some are now suggesting she was part of an underhand selection process in a bid to get a taxpayer-funded trip to the French capital.

 "If you don't know who her husband is, look him up," a post on Facebook reads. 

"His name is Samuel Free. He was the judge in the qualifying contests she 'won'. 

"Also the coach of the national team and the team selector."

A similar claim on X, formerly Twitter, has been viewed more than one million times.

Raygun performs a trick at the Olympic qualifying event in Sydney.
Raygun booked her spot for Paris at a Sydney qualifying event in October 2023. (Dan Himbrechts/AAP PHOTOS)

Mr Free is also a breaker and is his wife's coach. 

However, he was not a judge at the Oceania Olympic qualifiers held in Sydney last October. In fact, there were no Australians on the nine-person panel.

AusBreaking, the sport's governing body in Australia, said the selection event was "open to all interested participants in the Oceanic region".

In a statement, it said the event followed the same judging system as the Paris Olympics.

It described the nine international judges as "highly respected in their respective communities and in the international breaking scene".

Raygun was one of 15 women to compete in the qualifying event. 

The Verdict

False – The claim is inaccurate.

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Sources

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