Australian breakdancer Raygun breaks silence after controversial Olympics performance
B-Girl Raygun of Team Australia competes during the B-Girls Round Robin - Group B on day fourteen of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Place de la Concorde on August 09, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
Rachael Gunn, the Australian breaker whose "kangaroo dance" at the Paris Olympics was widely ridiculed, has spoken out about her performance.
In a video posted on Instagram, the 36-year-old thanked fans for their "positivity," but said the backlash she’s faced has been "pretty devastating."
"I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives," Gunn said. "That’s what I hoped. I didn’t realize that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating.
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"I did take it very seriously," she continued. "I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics, and I gave my all, truly."
Gunn, a university professor from Sydney, showed off a "kangaroo dance" among other questionable moves during her routine. Multiple reports say Gunn did not receive a single point from any of the nine judges in either round, but Gunn claimed in her video that "there are actually no points in breaking."
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Gunn called out the "allegations and misinformation" that have surfaced since her performance, including accusations of her "manipulating" the Olympic qualification process and untrue rumors that Gunn and her husband, fellow breaker Samuel Free, had held positions within Australian breaking organizations.
More than 40,000 people had signed a Change.org petition attacking Gunn’s performance. The petition appeared to have been removed on Thursday.
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The Australian Olympic Committee said Thursday the qualifying event was conducted under the Olympic qualification system determined by the international governing body, the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF), and approved by the International Olympic Committee.
The AOC said the judging panel for the event was selected by the WDSF and consisted of nine independent international judges.
"It is disgraceful that these falsehoods concocted by an anonymous person can be published in this way," AOC’s CEO 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."
In her video, Gunn also asked 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, so I ask you to please respect their privacy," Gunn said.
Breaking at the Olympics might have been one-and-done in Paris. The sport is not on the competition list for Los Angeles in 2028, and also is unlikely to appear in 2032 at Brisbane, Australia.