"She lost because she didn't do the Kangaroo"— Video of breakdancer Molly Chapman who lost Olympics spot to Raygun goes viral

Australian breakdancer Rachel Gunn, aka Raygun, faced online criticism and trolling in the wake of her unconventional performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, including raising questions about how she qualified for it.

It turns out that Raygun defeated fellow Australian breakdancer Molly Chapman at the WDSF Oceania Championships held in October 2023 in Sydney to secure her place at this year’s Olympics.

Amid the ongoing debate about Rachel Gunn’s breaking skills, a video of Molly Chapman’s performance at last year’s Red Bull BC One event has gone viral, earning diverse reactions online.

For instance, X user @heyChristiano commented on Marea Hannah Whitley’s post of the footage and shared her disbelief that Gunn was chosen over Chapman to represent their country in breaking at the Olympics.

“She lost because she didn’t do the Kangaroo dance,” the user wrote.

Many others joined the conversation and shared similar insights, calling the qualification process "rigged" and Molly a better breakdancer.

“She can actually breakdance; how did she lose?” a person asked.

“Must have been rigged,” one person wrote.

“This person is smooth and busting some fresh moves. Why did she lose when the other one was just having a seizure?” another person asked.

Others pointed out that if Chapman had gone to the Olympics instead, breaking would not have lost its status as a sport. Some said Raygun attempted to do what Molly appeared to do better in the now-viral clip.

“In another timeline, Molly goes to the Olympics and breaking isn’t permanently removed as a sport,” an individual wrote.

“Half her routine looks like what Raygun tried to do but couldn’t actually execute,” another netizen wrote.

Meanwhile, some claimed that having a PhD and a breaking coach for a husband helped Rachel Gunn qualify over Molly Chapman for the Olympics.

“Pity. Nepotism and corruption even at this level are rife as I have experienced when my daughter used to play competitive golf. It is very truly within each sporting body in their selection committee preferring to select who they want rather than who should be selected!” a netizen wrote.

“Did Molly have a PhD in gender studies or any other woke subject?” another individual asked.

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Exploring Molly Chapman’s statement in the wake of Raygun’s Olympics show

Last Friday, Rachel Gunn lost to all three contestants from the USA, France, and Lithuania at the round-robin level (group stage) of the 2024 Paris Olympics by 18-0 each. She exhibited unusual moves, including hopping, squirming, spinning, rolling on the dance floor, sprinkling, and mimicking a kangaroo and a snake.

The viral video of her performance garnered severe traction online, with netizens slamming and mocking her. In the wake of this, Raygun clapped back at critics and trolls by claiming that all her moves were “original,” adding that they often did not resonate with the judges.

“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?” she told reporters.

The New South Wales native further explained how she was an “underdog” who simply wanted to make her mark differently.

Molly Chapman also defended Raygun and the selection process on her Instagram Stories. Captioning it “Truth/ Facts,” she posted a statement on behalf of Ausbreaking, which read:

“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. Adhering to World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) regulations, which align with International Olympic Committee (IOC) standards, the process aimed to ensure a fair and transparent outcome.”

Notably, Chapman and Gunn faced off not only at the 2023 WDSF Oceania Championships but also at the World Championships last September, which was held in Belgium. There, the fellow Australian breakdancers finished 79th and 64th, respectively, among 80 contestants.

While Raygun qualified over Chapman at the Oceania Championships, the Wollongong native, who also goes by the nickname Holy Molly, made another attempt to make her way to the Paris Olympics at the World Championships held in Shanghai and Budapest earlier this year.