Viral Breakdancer Raygun Makes Emotional Plea After Receiving ‘Devastating’ Hate

Kristen Wong | Aug 15, 2024

Raygun competes during the Breaking B-Girls Round Robin Group B battle between Raygun and Syssy on Day 14 of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at La Concorde on August 9, 2024 in Paris, France. / Photo by Harry Langer/DeFodi Images via Getty Images

Raygun, the viral Australian breakdancer who sparked global ridicule for her performance in this summer’s Paris Games, has issued a plea to the media in the wake of her infamous popularity.

Rachael “Raygun” Gunn posted a candid video to her Instagram on Thursday in which she addressed the negative reactions following her underwhelming Olympic breakdancing performance in Paris. Since her group stage competition on Aug. 9, Raygun has been turned into endless memes and jokes on social media.

The 36-year-old college professor said in her video that while she was “honored” to have been a part of breakdancing’s Olympic debut, she’s received an onslaught of hateful comments in the past week.

“Hi everyone, Raygun here,” Gunn said. “I just want to start by thanking all the people who have supported me. I really appreciate the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That’s what I’d hoped. I didn’t realize that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating.

“I’d really like to ask the press to please 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, so I ask you to please respect their privacy.”

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A post shared by Rachael Gunn (@raygun_aus)

Gunn also briefly addressed the allegations surrounding her dubious qualification for the Olympics. Theories claiming that Gunn rigged the qualification process for her own personal gain have since been disproven, though questions remain regarding whether the process was fair to begin with. 

Gunn said, “In regards to the allegations and misinformation floating around, I’d like to ask everyone to refer to the recent statement made by the AOC as well as the posts on the AUSBreaking Instagram page as well as the WDSF Breaking for Gold page.”

After a petition claiming that Gunn had manipulated the Olympic qualification process went viral, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) issued a statement defending Gunn.

“It is disgraceful that these falsehoods concocted by an anonymous person can be published in this way,” AOC chief executive officer Matt Carroll said. “It amounts to bullying and harassment and is defamatory. No athlete who has represented their country at the Olympic Games should be treated in this way.”

Gunn, a lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney who has a doctorate degree in cultural studies, lost her three round-robin dance battles in the Games without earning a single vote from the judges. 

“I went out there and I had fun, I did take it very seriously,” Gunn said. “I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly.”