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Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn speaks out after Paris Olympic performance: “I gave my all”
Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn, also known as B-Girl Raygun, is speaking out after she received criticism and ridicule for her viral performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. In an Instagram post Thursday, she broke her silence.
“I really appreciate the positivity, and I’m glad I was able to some joy in your lives,” she said. “That’s what I hoped. I didn’t realize that would open the door to so much hate, which is frankly, been pretty devastating.”
“I went out there and I had fun,” the 36-year-old breaker said. “I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics, and I gave my all.”
Gunn, a professor from Sydney who holds a PhD in cultural studies, lost all of her three round-robin battles with a score of 54-0, drawing backlash for the lack of points and mockery over some of her moves in her routine, including a “kangaroo dance.” It was even made fun of on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.” She responded to some of her critics.
“Bit of a fun fact for you,” she said. “There are actually no points in breaking. If you want to see how the judges thought I compared to my opponents, you can actually see the comparison percentages across the five criteria on Olympics com. All the results are there.”
She also drew questions over how she was selected to represent Australia.
The Australian Olympics Committee came out in defense of Gunn on Thursday, condemning a anonymous petition on Change.org that demanded an apology from her and Australia’s chef de mission, Anna Meares, for their “unethical conduct” in choosing Gunn. The AOC said Gunn was selected to the Australian Olympic Team through a “transparent and independent qualification event and nomination process.”
“It is disgraceful that these falsehoods concocted by an anonymous person can be published in this way. It amounts to bullying and harassment and is defamatory,” AOC CEO Matt Carroll said in a statement.
As of Thursday afternoon, the petition was no longer live on the site.
The committee pointed out that Gunn held no position within AUSBreaking or DanceSport Australia — two entities that oversee competitive breaking in the country — in any capacity.
Accusations were also aimed at Gunn’s husband and fellow breaker, Samuel Free. The AOC said Free doesn’t and was not a judge at the qualifying event.
Breaking made its Olympic debut in Paris and won many fans. However, the sport did not make it onto the roster of sports for the 2028 Games in Los Angeles.
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Tupperware files for bankruptcy amid slumping sales
Tupperware and some of its subsidiaries filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, the once-iconic food container maker said in a statement late Tuesday.
The company has suffered from dwindling sales following a surprise surge during the COVID-19 pandemic, when legions of people stuck at home tried their hands at cooking, which increased demand for Tupperware’s colorful plastic containers with flexible airtight seals.
A post-pandemic rise in costs of raw materials and shipping, along with higher wages, also hurt Tupperware’s bottom line.
Last year, it warned of “substantial doubt” about its ability to keep operating in light of its poor financial position.
“Over the last several years, the Company’s financial position has been severely impacted by the challenging macroeconomic environment,” president and CEO Laurie Ann Goldman said in a statement announcing the bankruptcy filing.
“As a result, we explored numerous strategic options and determined this is the best path forward,” Goldman said.
The company said it would seek court approval for a sale process for the business to protect its brand and “further advance Tupperware’s transformation into a digital-first, technology-led company.”
The Orlando, Florida-based firm said it would also seek approval to continue operating during the bankruptcy proceedings and would continue to pay its employees and suppliers.
“We plan to continue serving our valued customers with the high-quality products they love and trust throughout this process,” Goldman said.
The firm’s shares were trading at $0.5099 Monday, well down from $2.55 in December last year.
Tupperware said it had implemented a strategic plan to modernize its operations and drive efficiencies to ignite growth following the appointment of a new management team last year.
“The Company has made significant progress and intends to continue this important transformation work.”
In its filing with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court for the District of Delaware, Tupperware listed assets of between $500 million and $1 billion and liabilities of between $1 billion and $10 billion.
The filing also said it had between 50,000 and 100,000 creditors.
Tupperware lost popularity with consumers in recent years and an initiative to gain distribution through big-box chain Target failed to reverse its fortunes.
The company’s roots date to 1946, when chemist Earl Tupper “had a spark of inspiration while creating molds at a plastics factory shortly after the Great Depression,” according to Tupperware’s website.
“If he could design an airtight seal for plastic storage containers, like those on a paint can, he could help war-weary families save money on costly food waste.”
Over time, Tupper’s containers became popular that many people referred to any plastic food container as Tupperware. And people even threw “Tupperware parties” in their homes to sell the containers to friends and neighbors.
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JD Vance echoes Trump, blames Democrats for apparent assassination attempt
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