1 00:00:06,120 --> 00:00:08,520 Speaker 1: You can listen to the Front on your smart speaker 2 00:00:08,640 --> 00:00:12,760 Speaker 1: every morning to hear the latest episode. Just say play 3 00:00:12,800 --> 00:00:22,120 Speaker 1: the news from The Australian. From the Australian, here's what's 4 00:00:22,160 --> 00:00:25,079 Speaker 1: on the Front. I'm Claire Harvey. It's Monday, August twelve. 5 00:00:30,280 --> 00:00:33,080 Speaker 1: Former Prime Minister Scott Morrison will be cross examined by 6 00:00:33,120 --> 00:00:36,280 Speaker 1: Council for Brittany Higgins when he appears as a witness 7 00:00:36,280 --> 00:00:40,320 Speaker 1: for the senator suing Higgins for defamation former Defense Minister 8 00:00:40,479 --> 00:00:44,680 Speaker 1: Linda Reynolds. We'll have live coverage from the WA Supreme 9 00:00:44,760 --> 00:00:47,920 Speaker 1: Court all week at the Australian dot Com Dot you. 10 00:00:52,320 --> 00:00:54,880 Speaker 1: A twenty seven year old woman took her life after 11 00:00:55,080 --> 00:00:59,640 Speaker 1: debt collectors for the National Disability Insurance Scheme pursued her 12 00:00:59,760 --> 00:01:03,360 Speaker 1: over for a twenty eight thousand dollars debt. That's according 13 00:01:03,360 --> 00:01:11,200 Speaker 1: to her parents. In an exclusive for The Australian Today, 14 00:01:13,000 --> 00:01:17,800 Speaker 1: Australian Olympic boss Anna Meears has lashed trolls for mocking 15 00:01:17,959 --> 00:01:23,840 Speaker 1: breakdowncer Rachel raygun Gum after her startling performance in the 16 00:01:23,880 --> 00:01:27,560 Speaker 1: last days of the Paris Olympics. So where does the 17 00:01:27,640 --> 00:01:48,400 Speaker 1: responsibility lie for an Australian athlete's global humiliation. Every Olympic 18 00:01:48,440 --> 00:01:52,040 Speaker 1: Games turns up a folk hero. We've had Eddie b Eagle, 19 00:01:52,240 --> 00:01:55,640 Speaker 1: the British ski jumper who in nineteen eighty eight finished 20 00:01:55,640 --> 00:02:06,000 Speaker 1: a resounding last but became a crowd sensation. Or Eddie 21 00:02:06,040 --> 00:02:08,800 Speaker 1: the Eel who in two thousand Sydney Games swam the 22 00:02:08,919 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 1: slowest one hundred meters freestyle in Olympic history, one of 23 00:02:12,440 --> 00:02:15,160 Speaker 1: his first dips in a fifty meter pool to a 24 00:02:15,280 --> 00:02:21,440 Speaker 1: roaring standing ovation. Well, I thought I'd seen everything in 25 00:02:21,480 --> 00:02:21,920 Speaker 1: the Olympics. 26 00:02:21,960 --> 00:02:22,680 Speaker 2: Rooming call. 27 00:02:24,600 --> 00:02:28,120 Speaker 1: Speed skater Stephen Bradbury, who I would defend as a 28 00:02:28,120 --> 00:02:32,400 Speaker 1: master tactician art who Australians embraced for the pure dumb 29 00:02:32,600 --> 00:02:36,480 Speaker 1: luck of winning a race after everybody else fell over. 30 00:02:38,040 --> 00:02:40,760 Speaker 2: Bradbury way off the pace and Lee is now the 31 00:02:40,880 --> 00:02:43,280 Speaker 2: challenger for owner Lee coming up on the outside when 32 00:02:43,320 --> 00:02:45,720 Speaker 2: Lee has gone down and Bradberry, who was in. 33 00:02:45,720 --> 00:02:48,280 Speaker 1: A perfect spot, states over the line. 34 00:02:48,560 --> 00:02:51,840 Speaker 2: Australia's first ever went to Olympics gold medal. 35 00:02:51,960 --> 00:02:54,240 Speaker 3: Stephen Bradbury is the. 36 00:02:54,360 --> 00:03:06,160 Speaker 1: Champion, and now there's Reagum, the thirty six year old 37 00:03:06,320 --> 00:03:11,120 Speaker 1: university lecturer with a PhD in breakdancing culture, was Australia's 38 00:03:11,160 --> 00:03:14,600 Speaker 1: sole female team member in what the Olympics are calling 39 00:03:14,960 --> 00:03:18,160 Speaker 1: breaking a new sport in the twenty twenty four Games. 40 00:03:18,600 --> 00:03:21,079 Speaker 1: Very unlikely to reappear in future. 41 00:03:21,760 --> 00:03:23,320 Speaker 3: Will you gunn represent her country? 42 00:03:24,520 --> 00:03:28,000 Speaker 1: Ygun was terrible, terrible in the way you or I 43 00:03:28,040 --> 00:03:32,200 Speaker 1: would be terrible at breakdancing or pole vaulting or gymnastic 44 00:03:32,280 --> 00:03:36,200 Speaker 1: ribbon dancing or judo or weightlifting. That is, we would 45 00:03:36,240 --> 00:03:40,680 Speaker 1: be normal, normal levels of coordination, normal levels of skill. 46 00:03:41,120 --> 00:03:45,440 Speaker 1: Nothing wrong with that. But does normal belong at the 47 00:03:45,560 --> 00:03:49,760 Speaker 1: highest levels of athletic excellence to be televised live to 48 00:03:49,800 --> 00:03:59,040 Speaker 1: an audience of billions? I chattered to our sportswriter, Will Swanton, 49 00:03:59,240 --> 00:04:01,720 Speaker 1: and I've got to warn you we got a serious 50 00:04:01,840 --> 00:04:06,640 Speaker 1: case of the giggles during this interview. Will Swanton is 51 00:04:06,680 --> 00:04:09,040 Speaker 1: a sports writer with The Australian. Will you were at 52 00:04:09,080 --> 00:04:13,000 Speaker 1: the Place de la Concord when Reagun made her international debut. 53 00:04:13,520 --> 00:04:15,960 Speaker 1: Tell me what you thought when you saw her come 54 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:17,000 Speaker 1: onto the stage? 55 00:04:19,240 --> 00:04:19,480 Speaker 2: Oh? 56 00:04:19,720 --> 00:04:24,440 Speaker 3: Just that name Raygun. Now I never heard of Raygun, 57 00:04:24,640 --> 00:04:29,200 Speaker 3: Like I actually not being the world's most experienced breaking reporter, 58 00:04:31,480 --> 00:04:33,800 Speaker 3: Not exactly. No, And I actually said some of mate 59 00:04:33,839 --> 00:04:38,120 Speaker 3: sitting next to me, what time is gun ray On Gun. 60 00:04:38,240 --> 00:04:42,960 Speaker 3: Ray It's ray Gun. So sitting there and they introduced 61 00:04:43,360 --> 00:04:46,919 Speaker 3: the sixteen be Girls as they're called, know that like 62 00:04:46,960 --> 00:04:49,719 Speaker 3: being called athletes. Apparently they're all be Girls in Breaking 63 00:04:50,320 --> 00:04:53,359 Speaker 3: and they're all wearing the Americans and the French and 64 00:04:53,360 --> 00:04:56,680 Speaker 3: their Japanese. They're wearing their funky hip hop clothes. And 65 00:04:56,720 --> 00:05:01,800 Speaker 3: then Raygun comes out in the Australian team track suit, 66 00:05:02,920 --> 00:05:04,760 Speaker 3: all right, And that was the first time I thought, 67 00:05:04,839 --> 00:05:08,000 Speaker 3: what's going on here? What's this? The first thing I 68 00:05:08,040 --> 00:05:13,400 Speaker 3: thought was Alissa Healey and the women's One Day cricket team, 69 00:05:13,680 --> 00:05:16,840 Speaker 3: just like it looked like the cricket in before that, 70 00:05:17,200 --> 00:05:19,839 Speaker 3: well Sydney, all kind of thing. But that's all right, 71 00:05:19,880 --> 00:05:22,640 Speaker 3: And I literally thought she was going to get changed. 72 00:05:22,680 --> 00:05:24,680 Speaker 3: Before she came out to compete, she was just in 73 00:05:24,760 --> 00:05:28,600 Speaker 3: her trackings. So they have one on one battles as 74 00:05:28,640 --> 00:05:32,000 Speaker 3: they call it, which is basically just a dance on 75 00:05:32,360 --> 00:05:37,000 Speaker 3: like Zoolander. And so she came out and she was 76 00:05:37,880 --> 00:05:42,920 Speaker 3: you couldn't say she was breaking like the rest of them. 77 00:05:43,120 --> 00:05:49,320 Speaker 1: First came the judges verdict with zero. Then came the 78 00:05:49,400 --> 00:05:53,880 Speaker 1: social media verdict. I'm trying to see, they says somebody, 79 00:05:53,920 --> 00:05:56,000 Speaker 1: mama hopped out the soccer man and came to the 80 00:05:56,040 --> 00:05:58,640 Speaker 1: stage and we're what is going on here? 81 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:02,280 Speaker 3: So Massy, you're from Australian and you've done lied on 82 00:06:02,320 --> 00:06:04,560 Speaker 3: your Olympics application and said that you know how to 83 00:06:04,560 --> 00:06:07,560 Speaker 3: break dance bunny rabbit kanker with one of those two 84 00:06:07,920 --> 00:06:08,679 Speaker 3: I got moves. 85 00:06:08,680 --> 00:06:11,159 Speaker 1: So what you're gonna do? I'm a worm of. 86 00:06:11,160 --> 00:06:13,120 Speaker 3: A feeling that maybe we're not taking the break dancing 87 00:06:13,240 --> 00:06:13,880 Speaker 3: very seriously. 88 00:06:15,120 --> 00:06:16,520 Speaker 2: She did. 89 00:06:17,240 --> 00:06:21,800 Speaker 1: Mama turned up her moves. This I say, I love 90 00:06:21,800 --> 00:06:24,840 Speaker 1: her originality though, yeah, yeah, for sure, I love fortibut 91 00:06:24,880 --> 00:06:26,159 Speaker 1: of this stuff. You ain't seen. 92 00:06:26,240 --> 00:06:27,159 Speaker 2: But at all. 93 00:06:29,440 --> 00:06:32,280 Speaker 1: Did you think at any point is this a spoof 94 00:06:32,400 --> 00:06:35,279 Speaker 1: or is this a joke or did you know from 95 00:06:35,279 --> 00:06:37,960 Speaker 1: the very beginning that actually this we were seeing someone 96 00:06:37,960 --> 00:06:40,840 Speaker 1: who was just not have the same athletic standard as 97 00:06:40,880 --> 00:06:42,400 Speaker 1: the other competitors. 98 00:06:42,480 --> 00:06:46,880 Speaker 3: So she qualified through the Oceania Championships. She's the reigning 99 00:06:47,600 --> 00:06:52,159 Speaker 3: Oceania champion of breaking so she earned her spot and 100 00:06:52,200 --> 00:06:55,040 Speaker 3: she won. So there's a tournament and the winner got 101 00:06:55,040 --> 00:06:57,440 Speaker 3: together the Olympics and I'm fascinated. I can't see any 102 00:06:57,440 --> 00:07:01,560 Speaker 3: pottage anyway. Her final, Like, I didn't think it was 103 00:07:01,560 --> 00:07:04,040 Speaker 3: a spoof, and I didn't think of I just thought 104 00:07:04,200 --> 00:07:06,440 Speaker 3: that she. I mean, it's funny, we're all trying to 105 00:07:06,480 --> 00:07:08,680 Speaker 3: find polite ways of putting it. But she just wasn't 106 00:07:08,760 --> 00:07:11,160 Speaker 3: up to that standard, like remotely up to that standard. 107 00:07:11,800 --> 00:07:14,960 Speaker 1: After the event, but before it all went sour on 108 00:07:15,000 --> 00:07:19,600 Speaker 1: social media, Rachel Gunn came out to speak to the journos. 109 00:07:20,200 --> 00:07:23,880 Speaker 3: Just a lovely woman, and she was thrilled. We've been 110 00:07:23,960 --> 00:07:25,640 Speaker 3: part of the Olympics and I just wanted to do 111 00:07:25,680 --> 00:07:28,080 Speaker 3: it my way and it's been such an honor and 112 00:07:28,120 --> 00:07:30,600 Speaker 3: what a treat and Breaking might never be here again, 113 00:07:30,680 --> 00:07:32,880 Speaker 3: and it's just all been so much fun. And we're 114 00:07:33,280 --> 00:07:35,600 Speaker 3: looking at her thinking, oh my gosh, she's got no 115 00:07:35,720 --> 00:07:39,640 Speaker 3: idea yet of what's happening on social media. I think 116 00:07:39,640 --> 00:07:41,920 Speaker 3: it was a bad It was probably a bad look 117 00:07:42,040 --> 00:07:45,760 Speaker 3: for the Olympics. I don't mean just her performance. I 118 00:07:45,800 --> 00:07:48,520 Speaker 3: just think Breaking didn't suit the Olympics. It didn't fit 119 00:07:48,560 --> 00:07:49,680 Speaker 3: the Olympics. 120 00:07:49,960 --> 00:07:54,720 Speaker 2: I love Rachel, and I think that what has occurred 121 00:07:55,560 --> 00:07:59,560 Speaker 2: on social media with trolls and keyboard warriors and taking 122 00:07:59,560 --> 00:08:03,360 Speaker 2: those coins and giving them airtime has been really disappointing. 123 00:08:04,160 --> 00:08:07,360 Speaker 1: Animir is the boss of the Olympic team complained publicly 124 00:08:07,400 --> 00:08:10,720 Speaker 1: that trolls Will being unkind to raygun She is. 125 00:08:10,680 --> 00:08:14,120 Speaker 2: The best breakdancer female that we have for Australia. She 126 00:08:14,160 --> 00:08:17,760 Speaker 2: has represented the Olympic team the Olympic spirit with great 127 00:08:18,640 --> 00:08:23,960 Speaker 2: enthusiasm and I absolutely love her courage, I love her 128 00:08:24,720 --> 00:08:28,280 Speaker 2: character and I feel very disappointed for her that she 129 00:08:28,320 --> 00:08:30,280 Speaker 2: has come under the attack that she has. 130 00:08:30,680 --> 00:08:32,840 Speaker 1: And I think we could probably agree that some people 131 00:08:32,840 --> 00:08:33,880 Speaker 1: have been unkind to. 132 00:08:33,840 --> 00:08:36,600 Speaker 3: Her, but Will doesn't. 133 00:08:36,679 --> 00:08:40,600 Speaker 1: The AOC and animirs have to take some responsibility for 134 00:08:40,720 --> 00:08:43,840 Speaker 1: putting Rachel Gunn in a position where she was going 135 00:08:43,840 --> 00:08:47,240 Speaker 1: to be humiliated internationally. Don't bear some responsibility for that. 136 00:08:47,800 --> 00:08:50,280 Speaker 3: I'm sure Rachel is probably shattered. She was trying to 137 00:08:50,360 --> 00:08:52,960 Speaker 3: give everyone a bit of a job quity. But there's 138 00:08:53,000 --> 00:08:56,600 Speaker 3: also from Rachel's point of view, if you're for any athlete, 139 00:08:56,720 --> 00:08:59,360 Speaker 3: if you're willing to step up into something as big 140 00:08:59,360 --> 00:09:02,280 Speaker 3: as the Olympic, there's the chance that you could be 141 00:09:02,600 --> 00:09:06,200 Speaker 3: praised from the roof pops as some kind of sporting hero, 142 00:09:06,400 --> 00:09:09,959 Speaker 3: which everyone's happen to do. But for any professional sport 143 00:09:10,280 --> 00:09:14,560 Speaker 3: or once you step out there, you're up for praise 144 00:09:15,360 --> 00:09:19,600 Speaker 3: to be mocked ridiculed, criticized, told how great you are, 145 00:09:19,760 --> 00:09:21,680 Speaker 3: told that you were great. So that's all part and 146 00:09:21,720 --> 00:09:24,080 Speaker 3: parcel of us. There is definitely a part of it 147 00:09:24,120 --> 00:09:27,880 Speaker 3: where if the AOC sends an athlete out there, there 148 00:09:27,920 --> 00:09:31,600 Speaker 3: has to be some recognition of this is Olympic competition. 149 00:09:32,280 --> 00:09:35,280 Speaker 3: It has to be taken seriously. But I think they 150 00:09:35,280 --> 00:09:38,920 Speaker 3: do have to accept that once you become an Olympic 151 00:09:39,120 --> 00:09:42,640 Speaker 3: athlete and you're in what was a high profile event, 152 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:44,040 Speaker 3: you're up to be judged. 153 00:09:46,000 --> 00:09:49,719 Speaker 1: Coming up. It was an otherwise stunning games for Australia, 154 00:09:49,800 --> 00:09:53,480 Speaker 1: So how did we do so well? In a fortnite 155 00:09:53,480 --> 00:09:57,439 Speaker 1: it'll be the Paralympics where everyone has an incredible backstory. 156 00:09:57,800 --> 00:10:00,240 Speaker 1: We'll have all the action twenty four to seven at 157 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:04,280 Speaker 1: the Australian dot com dot au for our subscribers. We'll 158 00:10:04,280 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 1: be back after this break. Olympic Games usually follow a 159 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:26,720 Speaker 1: pattern for Australia. We start very strong in the pool 160 00:10:26,800 --> 00:10:30,600 Speaker 1: with gold medals and advance Australia fair coming from all directions. 161 00:10:31,120 --> 00:10:34,480 Speaker 1: We all love Week one, but in the Olympiads of 162 00:10:34,520 --> 00:10:37,560 Speaker 1: recent memory, Weeks two and three are a little less 163 00:10:37,559 --> 00:10:41,040 Speaker 1: spine tingling. As we watch ken you win the marathon, 164 00:10:41,240 --> 00:10:44,559 Speaker 1: Sweden win the high jump and China win everything else. 165 00:10:45,760 --> 00:10:49,880 Speaker 1: By the closing ceremony, Australians are cheerfully celebrating a sixteenth 166 00:10:49,960 --> 00:10:52,760 Speaker 1: place in the sports we know when not very good. 167 00:10:52,760 --> 00:10:58,400 Speaker 1: At Paris has been different. The golds have kept coming 168 00:10:58,760 --> 00:11:05,000 Speaker 1: in sports we don't normally prosper in road, cycling, skateboarding, bremx. 169 00:11:09,160 --> 00:11:13,600 Speaker 1: This Olympics, Australia has done incredibly well, mind blowingly well. 170 00:11:13,840 --> 00:11:17,120 Speaker 1: So what's changed that's incredible? 171 00:11:17,480 --> 00:11:19,600 Speaker 3: I think one thing that has happened a lot of 172 00:11:19,720 --> 00:11:23,840 Speaker 3: other countries have become stronger and they started taking medals 173 00:11:23,920 --> 00:11:28,560 Speaker 3: off the powerhouses as well. And the swimming it gets 174 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:31,280 Speaker 3: and it's not all America winning the swimming. Well, my 175 00:11:31,280 --> 00:11:35,079 Speaker 3: impression is across all the sports, a lot more nations 176 00:11:35,240 --> 00:11:38,440 Speaker 3: are winning medals, which are taking some off Great Britain 177 00:11:38,480 --> 00:11:40,640 Speaker 3: and taking some off France and taking some off Japan. 178 00:11:41,320 --> 00:11:44,160 Speaker 3: So the top two America and China are miles ahead, 179 00:11:44,559 --> 00:11:46,880 Speaker 3: and then the rest of the top ten is a 180 00:11:46,880 --> 00:11:49,200 Speaker 3: bit of a bunch and we're just snuck through. But 181 00:11:49,320 --> 00:11:52,199 Speaker 3: like the men's doubles tennis at Roland Garros, it was 182 00:11:52,240 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 3: a class, but they were John Piers and Matt Ebden, 183 00:11:56,360 --> 00:11:58,640 Speaker 3: a couple of thirty six year olds who live on 184 00:11:58,679 --> 00:12:02,120 Speaker 3: the same street in Perth. Wives are best friends, kids 185 00:12:02,120 --> 00:12:05,960 Speaker 3: play together, all that kind of stuff. Unseated doubles players 186 00:12:06,000 --> 00:12:10,280 Speaker 3: in a field that had Raffa Adal and Alcoraz playing 187 00:12:10,320 --> 00:12:12,360 Speaker 3: together and all that kind of thing, and that was 188 00:12:12,480 --> 00:12:16,560 Speaker 3: just the unlikeliest gold medal. It's lucky for Australia that 189 00:12:17,160 --> 00:12:20,520 Speaker 3: the swimming is the first week because it's everyone on 190 00:12:20,520 --> 00:12:24,960 Speaker 3: a high from night one. So ari Arm one gold 191 00:12:25,040 --> 00:12:28,200 Speaker 3: that first night and the women's relay one gold that 192 00:12:28,320 --> 00:12:31,160 Speaker 3: first night. So Australia's got two gold medals the first night. 193 00:12:31,760 --> 00:12:34,840 Speaker 3: It's all celebratory. Back at the village where was I 194 00:12:34,840 --> 00:12:36,560 Speaker 3: think if swimming was weak too, if we had the 195 00:12:36,600 --> 00:12:38,800 Speaker 3: ass the first week would be down and it wouldn't 196 00:12:38,840 --> 00:12:40,920 Speaker 3: have that same But I think they all fed each 197 00:12:40,920 --> 00:12:42,840 Speaker 3: other off a bit. The impression I get is that 198 00:12:42,880 --> 00:12:45,720 Speaker 3: they just had a ball. They're in Paris, the old 199 00:12:45,760 --> 00:12:48,120 Speaker 3: backdrop is one of the great cities in the world. 200 00:12:48,679 --> 00:12:51,640 Speaker 3: They've done incredibly well. I think Anime even in the 201 00:12:51,679 --> 00:12:54,160 Speaker 3: way I think she was a bit off the mark 202 00:12:54,240 --> 00:12:59,800 Speaker 3: with defending ray Gan, because like some form of comment 203 00:13:00,200 --> 00:13:02,240 Speaker 3: was always going to happen once they sent her out there. 204 00:13:02,280 --> 00:13:03,920 Speaker 3: But I think in a way that was also an 205 00:13:03,920 --> 00:13:08,040 Speaker 3: example of Anna just hears deeply about all these athletes, 206 00:13:08,600 --> 00:13:10,800 Speaker 3: and I'm sure the way she is around the village 207 00:13:10,960 --> 00:13:15,600 Speaker 3: just constantly encouraging them. She's done great things as an Olympian, 208 00:13:15,679 --> 00:13:18,840 Speaker 3: so they've got someone there who's actually done it, who's 209 00:13:18,840 --> 00:13:20,960 Speaker 3: spurring them on. The impression I get is that she's 210 00:13:21,000 --> 00:13:25,680 Speaker 3: whipped up this fantastic team and spirit. I think that's 211 00:13:25,720 --> 00:13:27,640 Speaker 3: been part of it. But Anna and everyt they should 212 00:13:27,640 --> 00:13:29,640 Speaker 3: be incredibly proud of themselves. 213 00:13:30,600 --> 00:13:37,640 Speaker 1: Will Swanton is a sports writer with The Australian. You 214 00:13:37,679 --> 00:13:40,679 Speaker 1: can check out his reporting right now at the Australian 215 00:13:40,840 --> 00:13:42,000 Speaker 1: dot com dot au