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Fatboy Slim has become the latest celebrity to show his support for Australian breakdancer Raygun following a huge backlash to her divisive Olympic routine.
The breakdancer, 36, whose full name is Rachael Gunn, soared to global fame for her disaster performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, which became the competition’s most talked-about moment.
The unique routine featured kangaroo hopping and saw her slither across the floor like a snake and though it didn’t serve her well at the competition, it quickly garnered attention online.
However, Raygun also faced an onslaught of ridicule and wild conspiracy theories about how she made it to the Olympics, forcing her to hit back in a statement.
Now, iconic DJ and producer Fatboy Slim, 61, has become the latest high-profile star to jump to her defence and praise her for her efforts at the esteemed sports contest.
The famed English musician, whose real name is Norman Cook, took to Instagram on Friday to share a sweet message of support with the embattled breakdancer.
He compared her unique moves to the dancers from the famous music video for his popular 1990s anthem Praise You, which was directed by filmmaker Spike Jonze.
The video featured a disguised Spike and other dancers acting as a flash mob outside a busy Los Angeles theatre as they busted out unique moves while Praise You blasted out on a speaker.
Fatboy Slim has become the latest celebrity to show his support for Australian breakdancer Raygun following a huge backlash to her divisive Olympic routine
The breakdancer, 36, soared to global fame for her disaster performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics , which became the competition’s most talked-about moment
The group’s passionate dance style won over fans and saw the video scoop up a whole host of awards, while it is also considered to be one of the best music videos of all time.
Fatboy Slim shared clips from the highly memorable music video alongside footage of Raygun’s dance as he noted the similarities between the two unique dance styles.
In a caption, he showed his support for the athlete as he penned: ‘We would have given you 10 out of 10, Rachael.’
Fans were quick to take to the comments section to share their theories that Raygun had been inspired by the famous video, and urged her to dance to the track.
One wrote: ‘So this is where she got her inspiration!’ while another said: ‘She should’ve danced to praise you at the Olympics.’
A third commented: ‘Now I understand! Brilliant tribute!!’ and a fourth penned: ‘So glad she has got some positive feedback! Thank you.’
‘We praise you, Raygun!’ a fifth gushed, while another said: ‘Absolutely BRILLIANT!!! that is spot on, I only wish she had used ‘Praise You’ in her routine she’d have won Gold.’
TV presenter Davina McCall added of the fierce backlash Raygun has copped: ‘Thank you for this post… I was feeling for her a bit.’
The Praise You video famously starred American actor Spike under the pseudonym Richard Koufey, as he appeared in disguise to dance alongside the fictional Torrance Community Dance Group.
The troupe performed a creative dance routine outside the Fox Bruin Theater in LA in front of puzzled onlookers, who didn’t realise they were starring in a now-famous music video.
The unique routine featured kangaroo hopping and saw her slither across the floor like a snake and though it didn’t serve her well at the competition, it quickly garnered attention online
Fatboy Slim is not the first A-lister who has weighed into the debate around Raygun’s routine, as it also garnered the attention of chat show host Jimmy Fallon and singer Adele.
After the university lecturer soared to viral fame with the much-talked-about routine, Adele brought her concert in Germany to a halt to give her thoughts on the dance.
‘I am not saying anything, but I think it’s the best thing that has happened at the Olympics for the entire time,’ Adele told her fans.
‘Did anyone see the breakdancing lady?
‘Now I didn’t even know breakdancing was an Olympic sport these days. That is f***ing fantastic. I really really do.
‘Aaron my percussionist is p***ing himself laughing just thinking about it.’
Adele went on to reveal she was unsure whether Raygun was a serious entrant, with some fans comparing her moves to that of Mr Gee from Aussie comedy Summer Heights High.
‘I can’t work out if it was a joke but either way it has made me very very happy and me and my friends have been s***ing ourselves laughing for nearly 24 hours,’ she said.
‘It is so f***ing funny and is my favourite thing that has happened in the Olympics this whole
whole time.’
Raygun soared to international fame with the performance but was forced to hit back at the wild conspiracy theories about her that then began to circulate online.
In a passionate statement, she said: ‘Hi everyone, Raygun here. I just wanna start by thanking all the people who have supported me.
‘I really appreciate the positivity and I am glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives, that is what I had hoped.
‘I didn’t realise that that would also open the door to so much hate which has frankly been pretty devastating.
‘While I went out there and had fun, I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave it my all. Truly.
Amid the attention, Raygun faced an onslaught of ridicule and wild conspiracy theories about how she made it to the Olympics, forcing her to hit back in a statement
‘I’m honoured to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of breaking’s Olympic debut. What the other athletes have achieved has just been phenomenal.
‘In regards to the allegations and misinformation floating around, I’d like to ask everyone to please refer to the recent statement made by the AOC as well as the posts on the Ausbreaking Instagram page as well as the WDSF breaking for gold page.
‘Bit of a fun fact for you: 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 all five criteria on Olympics.com, all the results are there.
‘I’m going to be in Europe for a few weeks, for some pre-planned downtime but I would really like to ask the press to please stop harassing my family, my friends, the Australian breaking community and the broader street dance community.
‘Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this, so I ask you to still respect their privacy. ‘I will be happy to answer more questions on my return to Australia.’
