Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn, aka Raygun, has announced that she is retiring from competition following the backlash over her performance at the Paris Olympics.
“I’m not going to compete anymore, no,” Gunn said on Australia’s 2DayFM “The Jimmy and Nath Show.” “I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now — to approach a battle. Yeah, I mean I still dance, and I still break. But, you know, that’s like in my living room with my partner.”
She added, “I think the level of scrutiny that’s going to be there, and people will be filming it, and it will go online. It’s just not going to mean the same thing, and it’s not going to be the same experience because of everything that’s at stake.”
Gunn went viral online after her performance in the women’s breaking competition at the 2024 Olympics in August, where she was swept out without earning a single point. The Australian breakdancer sparked dozens of memes and drew criticism from viewers for her unconventional moves while competing against the U.S.’s Logan Edra, Lithuania’s Dominika Banevič and France’s Sya Dembélé. Her performance also led to accusations that she manipulated Australia’s selection process for the Olympics.
“It was really upsetting because I felt like I just didn’t have any control over how people saw me or who I was,” Gunn said on “The Jimmy and Nath Show.”
In August, Gunn spoke out against the backlash she faced in a video message posted to her Instagram page. “When I went out there I had fun. I did take it very seriously,” she said. “I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics. I gave my all, truly. I am honored to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and been a part of breaking’s Olympic debut.”
Gunn continued, “I really would like to ask the press to stop harassing my family, my friends, the Australian breaking community and the broader street dance community. Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this. I ask you to respect their privacy.”
Breaking will not be on the program at the next Olympics Games in 2028 in L.A.
From Variety US