B-Girl Raygun. Rene Nijhuis/BSR Agency/Getty Images
Olympic breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn is firing back at critics who mocked her viral performance at the 2024 Paris games, claiming they are “uneducated” and that their attacks have been “alarming.”
Raygun, 37, took social media by storm last month when her unorthodox technique led her to lose all three of her round-robin Olympic battles by a combined score of 54-0. .Despite the loss, she maintains that she earned her spot on Team Australia as the nation’s best breakdancer.
“I think my record speaks to that,” Gunn said in a September 4, interview with Australia’s Channel 10 TV. “I was the top-ranked Australian B girl in 2020 and 2022, and 2023. … So the record is there, but anything can happen in a battle.”
In the first interview she’s done since the Olympics, the athlete added that her critics simply did not understand what she was trying to do.
The 2024 Summer Olympics might be taking place in the City of Light, but that doesn’t mean they haven’t come with their fair share of darkness. Following a flashy opening ceremony on Friday, July 26 that continues to draw outrage from some celebrities and religious figures, the Games have been plagued by allegations of sexism […]
“I am very sorry for the backlash that the community has experienced, but I can’t control how people react,” she said. “Unfortunately, we just need some more resources in Australia for us to have a chance to be world champions.”
Raygun, whose full time job is a university lecturer, has also faced accusations of manipulating the qualification procedure to earn her place on the team. An online petition outlining the alleged manipulations garnered more than 50,000 signatures.
“Rachel Gunn [sic], who set up her own governing body for breakdancing, has manipulated the selection process to her own advantage. Despite the clear talent and qualification of other outstanding female breakdancers like G Clef and Holy Molly, they were unfairly overlooked,” the petition reads. “The NT Youlong Boys, a group of incredibly talented and underprivileged youth from the Northern Territory, were denied crucial funding by Dr. Gunn to attend the qualifiers — a decision that directly impacted their chance to showcase their skills on a national stage.”
As Team USA takes on the 2024 Paris Olympics, the American athletes have already made an impression at the summer Games. The 2024 Olympics kicked off on Friday, July 26, with an illustrious opening ceremony that took place entirely outdoors on the River Seine and featured performances from the likes of Celine Dion and Lady […]
The Australian Olympic Committee subsequently removed the petition, calling it “vexatious, misleading and bullying.”
Raygun herself defended her work ethic that helped her land a spot in the Paris games.
“In the last year, I have trained my hardest,” she said. “I have really put my body through it, put my mind through it. But if that’s not good enough for someone, what can I say?”
She added that while she won’t likely compete again, she assured fans that she can handle the criticism.
“I’ll survive, I’m all right,” she said. “I would rather much focus on the positives out of this, and the positive responses and the joy that I brought people.”