(NewsNation) — The Raygun saga may be far from over.
Rachel Gunn, the Australian professor who represented her country at the Olympics in breaking, also known as break dancing, is the target of an online petition calling for a review of the process that led to her selection.
“We demand a public apology from Rachel Gunn and (Australian Olympic official) Anna Mears for misleading the Australian public and attempting to gaslight the public and undermining the efforts of genuine athletes,” reads the petition posted on change.org signed by nearly 50,000 people.
The petition accuses Gunn, known as “Raygun,” of literally creating the governing body that chose her to be Australia’s sole female breaker at the recently completed Olympics in Paris. It also accuses Gunn’s husband, Samuel Free, of being on the selection committee. Both accusations are false, according to Ausbreaking, the five-year-old organization that chose the team.
Raygun has been a viral sensation for her kangaroo-inspired dance that earned her zero points and quick elimination in the breaking competition. The video of her performance has been viewed by millions and was the subject of a parody on “The Tonight Show” earlier this week.
“The selection process for Australia’s Breaking team heading to Paris was conducted over two days, and open to all interested participants in the Oceanic region,” a statement from Ausbreaking said. “Rachael Gunn and Jeff Dunne emerged as the top performers in exactly the same process,” it added.
“We condemn the global online harassment and bullying of Raygun. The pressure to perform on the Olympic stage is immense, especially against the opponents in her particular group. We stand in solidarity with Raygun,” the statement concluded.
Dunne, 16, who competes under the name J-Attack, was eliminated in the first round. His coach blames Dunne’s poor showing on the sudden pressure created by vitriolic criticism of Gunn’s performance.