Meet the breakdancer who lost out to viral sensation Raygun for a place at the Olympic Games... as unseen clip racks up MILLIONS of views online
- The breakdancer defeated by Raygun has gone viral
- Molly Chapman lost to Raygun in the Olympics qualifiers
- Fans are saying the same thing after reviewing the footage
New footage has emerged of the Aussie breakdancer who lost out to Rachael Gunn for a place at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Gunn, better known as Raygun, became an overnight sensation following her performance in the inaugural women's breakdancing competition at the Olympic Games.
Raygun mimicked a kangaroo, a snake, and performed the sprinkler dance move on her way to a miserable score of zero points out of a possible 54.
But she has undeniably become the story of the Games, with the likes of Adele and Anthony Albanese wading into the routine that has split opinion.
And now, fans have discovered a clip of Raygun's compatriot, Molly Chapman, who was defeated by the 36-year-old university lecturer in the Olympics qualification process.
Chapman was selected alongside Gunn by the ABA, now known as Ausbreaking, to enter the qualifiers for Paris last year.
The pair flew to Belgium for the first qualifier at the World Championships, but both failed to secure a place after finishing 79th (Chapman) and 64th (Gunn) out of a field of 80 entrants.
The Aussies received another chance of qualifying at the WDSF Oceania Championships held in Sydney's Town Hall last October.
Molly Chapman, the Aussie breakdancer who lost out to Rachael Gunn, has gone viral on social media
A clip of Holly Chapman breaking has amassed over four million views online
Registrations were open to the public and the competition featured a 10-judge panel of professional breakers.
Gunn defeated Chapman, along with another two competitors, in the last round to win the event and seal her place in Paris.
Chapman received a third chance to qualify at a series held in Shanghai and Budapest earlier this year, but she failed to secure a spot.
But fans believe she would have fared better than Raygun after a clip of the breaker amassed over four million views on X.
'This is Molly Chapman, the breakdancer who lost to Raygun in the qualifying event to compete at the Olympics,' said Marea Hannah Whitley, who posted the clip online. 'Go figure.'
'Not great but still 10000x better than Raygun,' one fan responded.
Another said: 'She can actually breakdance, how did she lose?'
A third fan joked: 'I mean she has a PhD. What are Molly's credentials besides being a better breakdancer?'
Fans claimed Chapman, who lost to Raygun in qualifying, is in fact the better breaker
But Chapman staunchly supported Raygun and said the qualification process was fair
For what it's worth, Chapman has staunchly supporter her fellow breakdancer, reposting a statement from Ausbreaking that defended its selection of Raygun with the comment: 'Truth/facts'.
Aussie champion Jessica Fox expressed her sympathy for Raygun, revealing that the online onslaught has taken its toll.
'I did speak to her; it is devastating for her,' she told the Sydney Morning Herald.
'To see the toll ... she is human and it is massive what she has been through over the last week. She has definitely been feeling it.
'There is a human behind all that, and people are so quick to be awful. She doesn't deserve that.'
The Australian team did their best to support Gunn through the wave of hate with clips emerging of the teammates dancing alongside the breakdancer before the Games' closing ceremony.
'It was special for us to be able to rally around her at the closing ceremony, and show our appreciation to her as a valued member of our team,' Fox said.
Several other Aussie Olympians have been vocal of their support for Gunn including Swimmer Zac Stubblety-Cook.
He described the criticism as 'disappointing' and said it was 'bloody awesome' to see Gunn smiling during the ceremony.
Gunn has been the subject of countless memes and online videos ridiculing her Olympic performance.
Raygun became an overnight sensation at the Olympic Games following her performance
She danced like a kangaroo and a snake in a routine that paid tribute to Australia, but she has since been ruthlessly mocked online
However, that negativity has also manifested in the form of accusations she was undeserving of being on the Olympic team and purposely lost the competition for the sake of an academic study.
The criticism of Gunn's performance even made its way onto TV with late night host Jimmy Fallon using his Tonight Show to savagely mock her.
Fallon played a clip of Gunn's performance before comedian Rachel Dratch entered the stage to mimic the routine.
Australian Olympic Committee boss Matt Carroll told the outlet Gunn had been offered support services in Paris, which will continue once she's back in Australia.
'Someone comes first and someone is going to come last. But they’re all trying their absolute best and they’re all extremely dedicated. I think they should be respected, regardless,' he said.
Mr Carroll added the intense scrutiny of Gunn was 'unnecessary' and shot down any rumours she didn't properly qualify for the Games.
