Asian Games breakers back Raygun's art, want another Olympic chance

NAGOYA, Japan, Oct 2 - Raygun's performance at the Paris Games may have launched a thousand memes but Asian Games breakers have defended the Australian's art while hoping the sport will return to the Olympic stage.

Rachael Gunn became one of the biggest talking points at Paris as she lost all three of her battles without receiving a vote from judges. Her moves -- including a kangaroo bounce -- attracted ridicule around the world.

The controversy has been thrust back into the spotlight by the Netflix documentary, “Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly", which chronicled Gunn's buildup to the Olympics and the backlash that followed.

Taiwanese breaker Wu Ding-jie, who performs as "Jasper", said Gunn's technical ability may have suffered in comparison to her rivals at Paris, but not her individuality.

"For people within our community, what she was doing wouldn’t be regarded as something bad. I think what she was doing was very innovative,” the 19-year-old told Reuters at the breaking competition in Nagoya.

"With art, everyone has their own set of views. So some people will think it’s good, and some people will think it’s bad.

"But I think as long as Raygun knows that what she herself is doing is very unique and original, she will continue creating and exploring within her breaking."

Breaking will not be on the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics programme, a decision made well before Paris, but the sport has pitched for a return at Brisbane 2032.

It faces competition from cricket, flag football and netball to be added as optional sports on the 2032 programme.

Breaking retained its spot at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, three years after making its debut in Hangzhou, China as a medal sport.

"I still believe it will return to the Olympics," said Jasper.

"Apart from Raygun, there are so many amazing people in our community with so many different styles."

EVEN CRAZIER

While some breakers lamented the intense focus on Raygun at Paris, Japanese B-boy Isshin Hishikawa said the former university lecturer may have done the sport a favour.

"If she wasn't at the Olympics, breaking wouldn't have been famous. I really appreciate that," the 21-year-old known as "Issin" told Reuters.

"I saw the Netflix show, I thought it was really funny. I want to do a Netflix show, too."

Issin said Raygun's much-maligned kangaroo hop was judged harshly, and that he also liked to pay tribute to Japanese culture in his own performance.

"Maybe I'll do something even crazier than the kangaroo," he said.

Paris Olympian Sun Chen, who competes as "Quake", said a return to the Games might raise breaking's profile again but he was far from convinced it needed the platform.

"People might start thinking only Olympic-level or Asian Games breaking is good. It should be that any breaking is good," he told Reuters.

"And the Olympics should also be able to accommodate all kinds of different styles, rather than it becoming a thing where everyone pursues the same kind of look, the same kind of strengths.

"If that happens, breaking will, to some extent, die." REUTERS