Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn defended her polarizing performance at the Paris Olympics last month, and denied she somehow rigged her qualifications for the Games.
The 37-year-old breakdancing professor addressed the backlash and global mockery in an interview that aired Wednesday on Australia’s “The Project,” during which she stood by her competitive efforts that many dubbed “cringe.”
“It was really sad how much hate that it did evoke,” said Gunn — who was named Australia’s “top-ranked” breaker last year, as well as in 2020 and 2022 — adding that while she’s “very sorry for the backlash the community has experienced,” she “can’t control how people react.”
Gunn, whose viral performance included mimicking kangaroo hops, attributed “a lot of the responses … to people not being very familiar with breaking and the diversity of approaches in breaking.”
“The energy and vitriol that people had was pretty alarming,” she said. “I wanted to bring out some Australian moves and themes. … That’s the wonderful thing about breaking. You can take inspiration from any source.”
Though she earned 0 points during her three Paris competitions, Gunn said her “record speaks to” whether she’s really Australia’s best breaker. She also denied conspiracy theories that she manipulated the selection process to qualify for the Games.
Noting that she’s largely avoided social media since and swiftly sought mental health support amid the “ups and downs” following the Games, Gunn expressed her gratitude for the “amazing” positive responses she’s also received.