(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Wednesday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE Minnesota Twins 11, San Diego Padres 4 Cincinnati Reds 11, Toronto Blue Jays 7 Detroit Tigers 8, Chicago Cubs 2 Seattle Mariners 4, LA Dodgers 8 Texas Rangers 1, Pittsburgh Pirates 0 Chicago White Sox 6, San Francisco Giants 2 NY Mets 4, Baltimore Orioles 3
AMERICAN LEAGUE NY Yankees 8, Cleveland Guardians 1 Kansas City Royals 3, LA Angels 0 Tampa Bay Rays 4, Oakland Athletics 2 Boston Red Sox 4, Houston Astros 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE Arizona Diamondbacks 10, Miami Marlins 8 Washington Nationals 6, Colorado Rockies 1 Philadelphia Phillies 3, Atlanta Braves 2 St. Louis Cardinals 10, Milwaukee Brewers 6
WOMEN’S NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION Atlanta Dream 72, Phoenix Mercury 63 Minnesota Lynx 98, Las Vegas Aces 87
MAJOR LEAGUE SOCCER Columbus, Philadelphia 7:30 PM (Postponed)
Australia’s Rachael Gunn, known as B-Girl Raygun, competes in the breaking competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics, Aug. 9, 2024. (Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — When breaking, or breakdancing, made its debut at the 2024 Paris Olympics, the sport quickly had its breakout star, b-girl Raygun, a 36-year-old Australian college professor.
Raygun, whose birth name is Rachael Gunn, went viral after her performance Friday in Paris, where she took on b-girls in their late teens and early 20s with unique dance moves that quickly became the focus of memes and jokes on social media.
Gunn did not earn a medal in Paris, losing her three round-robin battles by a score of 54-0.
The online criticisms of Gunn’s performance led her to defend her skills, telling reporters that what she brought to her performance was “creativity.”
“I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best — their power moves,” Gunn said, according to ESPN. “What I bring is creativity.”
“All of my moves are original,” she continued. “Creativity is really important to me. I go out there, and I show my artistry. Sometimes it speaks to the judges, and sometimes it doesn’t. I do my thing, and it represents art. That is what it is about.”
On social media, some users dubbed one move by Gunn “the kangaroo,” while others compared her dance moves to when a child asks you to watch their performance.
“I’d like to personally thank Raygun for making millions of people worldwide think ‘huh, maybe I can make the Olympics too,'” one user wrote on X, alongside a photo of Raygun’s Olympic performance.
The online critiques of Gunn’s performance led Australia’s Chef de Mission, Anna Meares, to issue public support Saturday for her performance.
“I love Rachael, and I think that what has occurred on social media with trolls and keyboard warriors, and taking those comments and giving them airtime, has been really disappointing,” Meares said at a news conference, according to ESPN. “Raygun is an absolutely loved member of this Olympic team. She has represented the Olympic team, the Olympic spirit with great enthusiasm. And I absolutely love her courage. I love her character, and I feel very disappointed for her, that she has come under the attack that she has.”
On Sunday, the head judge of the breaking competition in Paris defended Gunn, while the head of the World DanceSport Federation said officials are looking out for her “mental safety” after the online criticism.
According to her Olympics biography, Gunn is a former jazz and ballroom dancer who entered the sport of breaking through her husband, Samuel, who had been breaking for the past decade.
Gunn started breaking in her mid-20s and went on to become the top-ranked b-girl in Australia in 2020 and 2021.
Last year, she won the QMS Oceania Championships in Sydney to earn Australia’s first-ever spot in the b-girl competition at the Olympics, according to her bio.
When not breaking, Gunn, who holds a Ph.D. in cultural studies, is a researcher and lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney, where she studies the “the cultural politics of breaking,” according to her university biography.
As both a breaker and a researcher, Gunn told the podcast “The [Female] Athlete Project” that her bag, “always has two main things, my knee pads and my laptop.”
While in Paris, Gunn shared a photo of herself on Instagram in Team Australia’s uniform along with the caption, “Don’t be afraid to be different, go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that’s gonna take you.”
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(NEW YORK) — Here are the scores from Thursday’s sports events:
MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL
INTERLEAGUE
Kansas City Royals 7, Washington Nationals 4 Miami Marlins 8, Minnesota Twins 6
AMERICAN LEAGUE
Detroit Tigers 4, Tampa Bay Rays 3 Chicago White Sox 7, L-A Angels 0 Oakland Athletics 3, Texas Rangers 2 Oakland Athletics 3, Baltimore Orioles 1
NATIONAL LEAGUE
Milwaukee Brewers 5, Pittsburgh Pirates 2 Colorado Rockies 10, St. Louis Cardinals 8 San Diego Padres at L-A Dodgers (TBA) N-Y Mets at Atlanta 1:10 p.m. (Postponed)
Johnny Gaudreau #13 of the Columbus Blue Jackets celebrates a goal during the third period of the game against Carolina Hurricanes at PNC Arena on November 26, 2023. (Photo by Jaylynn Nash/Getty Images)
(NEW YORK) — Columbus Blue Jackets star Johnny Gaudreau and his brother were killed Thursday night when they were riding bikes and struck by a driver suspected of being under the influence of alcohol, according to police in New Jersey.
“The Columbus Blue Jackets are shocked and devastated by this unimaginable tragedy,” the NHL team said in a statement. “Johnny was not only a great hockey player, but more significantly a loving husband, father, son, brother and friend. We extend our heartfelt sympathies to his wife, Meredith, his children, Noa and Johnny, his parents, their family and friends on the sudden loss of Johnny and Matthew.”
Johnny Gaudreau, 31, and Matthew Gaudreau, 29, were cycling in Salem County, “close to the fog line of the roadway,” when they were hit from behind by a driver who was trying to pass another car, according to New Jersey State Police.
The driver, 43-year-old Sean Higgins, had been trying to pass a slower-moving sedan and SUV in front of him in the northbound lanes, so he moved to the southbound lanes and passed the sedan, police said. Higgins was trying to re-enter the northbound lane “when the SUV in front of Higgins moved to the middle of the roadway, splitting the north and south lanes to safely pass” the cyclists, police said.
Higgins then allegedly tried to pass the SUV on the right, and that’s when he struck the brothers, according to police.
Higgins, who was “suspected of being under the influence of alcohol,” is charged with two counts of death by auto, according to police.
“Johnny played the game with great joy which was felt by everyone that saw him on the ice,” the Blue Jackets said. “He brought a genuine love for hockey with him everywhere he played from Boston College to the Calgary Flames to Team USA to the Blue Jackets. He thrilled fans in a way only Johnny Hockey could. The impact he had on our organization and our sport was profound, but pales in comparison to the indelible impression he made on everyone who knew him.”
Gaudreau, a winger, won the Hobey Baker Award in 2014 as the best player in college hockey. He was also a finalist for the Calder Trophy, given to the league’s best rookie, in 2013-14, and named to the All-Star Game in 2015. He played nine seasons for the Calgary Flames before joining the Blue Jackets before the 2022-23 season. He had 12 goals and 48 assists last season.
NHL Commissioner Gary Bettman said in a statement, “While Johnny’s infectious spirit for the game and show-stopping skills on the ice earned him the nickname ‘Johnny Hockey,’ he was more than just a dazzling hockey player; he was a doting father and beloved husband, son, brother and teammate who endeared himself to every person fortunate enough to have crossed his path.”
