I don’t know about you, but I’ve also been a little freaked out about some of the so-called sports that the organizers included in the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics. The other night, I heard the announcer tease that up next was something called Rhythmic Swimming. It turned out it was just the updated name for something I’ve watched at other Olympics (and maybe you have too): synchronized swimming.
Still, when did they bring in the extreme, out-of-water stunts. It’s more like cheerleading than something people compete at on the field. I kind of felt like I was watching Cirque du Soleil (which is amazing, but it isn’t a sport). Maybe it’s just me.
Anyway, one of the other sports this time that has me scratching my head is break dancing. And before someone accuses me of disliking break dancing, I don’t. I grew up in the ’80s, and it was a unique and cool thing to grow out of hip-hop’s rise in prominence. I remember watching in amazement, the first time I saw it at a school dance.
It’s unlikely this will return to the Olympic stage again. Why? There was an “athlete” at these Olympics who competed for Australia in break dancing, Rachael Gunn (AKA Raygun), and as the post says, she got zero points for her performance.
Watch:
This is Rachael Gunn, she has a PhD in cultural movement and convinced Australia to pay for her trip to the Paris Olympics.
She participated in break dancing and got 0 points.
— BowTiedMara (@BowTiedMara) August 10, 2024
As you’d guess, the clips of her performance, if you can call it that, quickly went viral on social media, with many people pointing and laughing at the insanity they just finished watching. As my colleague Brittany Sheehan wrote on an X post (the video has been taken down):
I can’t get over this.
I’ve seen kids have better dance battles based on stuff they learned from Fortnite.
One of Gunn’s fellow Aussies, Anna Meares, who’s considered a sports legend Down Under after winning two gold medals in cycling, defended this sad show, and told the BBC that anyone mocking Gunn was “disappointing”–and obviously misogynist.
“In 2008, she was locked in a room crying being involved in a male-dominated sport as the only woman, and it took great courage for her to continue on and fight for her opportunity to participate in a sport that she loved,” Meares said.
Gunn appeared to agree with Meares’ sentiment, as she questioned whether male counterparts would be met with the same level of outrage for their clothing choices.
“Looking forward to the same level of scrutiny on what the b-boys wear tomorrow,” Gunn said on Friday.
Gunn, who wore the country’s track uniform instead of typical streetwear (like the other competitors), also tried to “move differently,” she said in the BBC story (linked above):
Explaining her performance, Gunn said: “I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get in a lifetime to do that on an international stage?
“I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.”
This just proves what we all know about woke culture and the Left in general. They twist any criticism of their actions into something else–often an attack on you. It is never about excelling at something; it’s about being seen as special.
I choose not to linger on such people, but instead look to someone who is worth talking about. American runner and Olympic gold medalist Sydney McLaughlin (400-meter hurdles). First and foremost, she’s a Christian:
“I credit all that I do to God…Regardless of what happens, He’s going to get the praise… That’s why I do what I do.”
– 400m Hurdles #Olympics Gold Medalist Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone(HT @Sports_Spectrum) pic.twitter.com/25rTHejzWf
— Jon Root (@JonnyRoot_) August 9, 2024
She said in another interview that some have advised her to be quieter about her Christian faith, or she could lose a potential endorsement deal:
Olympic Gold Medalist Sydney McLaughlin on being “canceled” for speaking out about her faith.
“I don’t live for the approval of people… even if an endorsement or something wants to leave, I know God will provide.”
We need more of this. 🙏 pic.twitter.com/n8es21w2vS
— Anna Lulis (@annamlulis) August 9, 2024
That’s what a champion sounds like–knowing you will face hardship for what you stand for, but doing it anyway. God bless her!
Also, contrast the “break dance” woman with another actual athlete whom RedState’s Bonchie wrote about earlier, Steph Curry from the men’s Olympic basketball team, who rose to another level to help the team close out the gold-medal game against Les Français in his first Olympics. It’s never a bad day when you beat commies, I agree, Bonchie.
Related: OPINION: Why My Family Is Watching the Paris Summer Olympics (VIP)
