Australian breaking contestant Rachael “Raygun” Gunn was arguably the most popular athlete of the Paris 2024 Olympics. Unfortunately, it was for all the wrong reasons.
Losing all three of her round-robin-breaking battles by a combined score of 54-0, the 37-year-old’s eccentric dance moves quickly became the subject of countless memes and an overwhelming amount of online ridicule.
This week Raygun spoke with The Project in her first television interview since the Games and reflected on the aftermath of her infamous Olympic moment.
She admitted that she still hasn’t seen footage of the viral performance, choosing instead to prioritize her mental well-being.
“Fortunately, I got some mental health support pretty quickly,” Raygun shared. “And I also went off social media. I went off the internet. It’s still pretty hard to process.”
Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn tells us what she thought of the Jimmy Fallon sketch. pic.twitter.com/vzclWzXqvc
— The Project (@theprojecttv) September 4, 2024
Raygun acknowledged the harsh criticism she continues to face, much of which she believes stems from misunderstandings about the art of breaking.
“It was really sad how much hate it evoked,” she said. “A lot of the responses [come from] people not being very familiar with breaking and the diversity of approaches in breaking.”
That backlash intensified with an online petition accusing her of manipulating the Olympic selection process. The petition, which garnered over 45,000 signatures, also questioned whether her husband, alleged to be involved in the selection panel, played a role in her inclusion on the team.
“There’s been a portion of very angry and awful responses,” Raygun said. “Not only attacking me but attacking my husband, attacking my crew, attacking the breaking and street dance community in Australia, my family. The energy and vitriol that people had was pretty alarming.”
Despite the controversies, Raygun defended her eligibility to compete at the Olympics, citing her accomplishments in the sport. “I think my record speaks to that,” she noted. “I was the top-ranked Australian B-girl in 2020, 2022, and 2023. The record is there, but anything can happen in a battle.”
As for her future in breaking, Raygun revealed that she’s stepping away from the competitive scene, at least for now. “I don’t think I’ll be competing for a while,” the Hornsby, Australia, native admitted. “[I’m] not really wanting to be in the spotlight, breaking, competing.”