When Rachael “Raygun” Gunn made her Olympic debut in Paris last year, she didn’t just crash out of the breaking event in the first round: she became a national conversation. The Australian academic and B-girl’s now-infamous routine, featuring kangaroo hops and sprinkler moves, lit up the internet with memes, sparked heated debate, and drew fierce criticism from both hip hop purists and patriotic sports fans.
Now, almost a year later, “Australian Story” is diving into the cultural aftermath of Gunn’s performance, examining how a self-described underdog became one of the most polarising figures of the 2024 Games.
From the moment Gunn hit the stage, reactions were mixed. At home, many Australians cringed at what they saw as a novelty act that distracted from the country’s record-breaking medal tally. Abroad, particularly in the US —where breaking has deep cultural roots — critics labelled her performance “amateurish” and “culturally insensitive.”
“Part of the magic of hip hop culture is the fact that it was created by marginalised teenagers who came from nothing,” says Michael Holman, a New York breaking pioneer. “And so her being white and Australian and jumping around like a kangaroo, that’s going to be a loaded gun.”
But not everyone was quick to dismiss Gunn. Comedian Stephanie Broadbridge saw something uniquely Australian in Raygun’s flawed heroism, even comparing her to the likes of Shane Warne; and was moved to write an unauthorised musical parody, calling it an “empathetic piss-take.”
However, any goodwill Gunn had salvaged appeared to vanish when her legal team issued a cease-and-desist to Broadbridge just days before the show’s opening, citing copyright infringement. The backlash was swift and unforgiving.
“People who had backed her the whole way felt like this was kind of betrayal of their support for her,” says journalist Jordan Baker, who covered the Paris Olympics for The Sydney Morning Herald. “It seemed like she was no longer even remotely trying to lean into the joke.”
With Gunn declining to be interviewed for the segment, “Australian Story” turns to a wide cast of voices, including comedians, journalists, and sports figures, to unpack what the Raygun phenomenon really means. Was it cultural cringe, performance art, or simply a case of Australia’s tall poppy syndrome doing its thing?
The ‘Raygun’ episode of Australian Story airs Monday, June 23rd at 8pm on ABC and will be available to stream on ABC iview.