Rachael Gunn, the Australian breakdancer who goes by Raygun, apologized for the backlash her Paris Olympic Games performance brought against the breakdancing community.
"I can't control how people react," Gunn said in an interview with the Australian current affairs show, The Project, during which she also touched on the frightening hate and attacks she, her family and friends have faced since her competition.
Gunn went viral in July after she broke out a host of unorthodox moves during the breakdancing competition in the final weekend of the Paris Games. Her moves, which included the kangaroo hop and writhing on the floor, quickly became memes and was impersonated by comedian Rachel Dratch during Jimmy Fallon’s monologue to open The Tonight Show.
The performance drew laughs, but also shocking levels of criticism, hate and vitriol, Gunn told The Project during her interview.
"It definitely has been tough at times," she said. Gunn said given the extreme response from people, she went off social media and got mental health help pretty quickly.
Some on social media questioned whether Gunn's performance was a hoax or part of some project that the university lecturer was taking part in. Gunn researches dance and gender politics and has studied a range of dance styles, according to her Olympics bio. Other critics said Gunn benefited from nepotism or a rigged competition.
Gunn, who previously responded to this on Instagram, said during the interview that she won her spot to Paris fair and square after competing in the 2023 Breaking Oceania Championship.
Leading up to Paris, Gunn said she was very nervous going up against competitors from around the world.
"I knew I was going to get beaten and that no one was going to understand my style and what I was going to do," she said. "The odds were against me, that’s for sure.”
She added that she trained hard and has been a breaker for years. And, she said, the country should take Australia's performance in breakdancing in Paris as a sign to invest in the sport: "We need more resources in Australia to beat world champions. We haven't had the best track record" in global competitions.
For now, Gunn said she is staying away from competitions for awhile.
Copyright 2024 NPR
