Her performance in breaking at the Paris Olympics sparked smiles and wonder — and a backlash of invective and conspiracy theories. But enough is enough, says B-girl Raygun, and the Australian Olympic Committee agrees.
“It amounts to bullying and harassment and is defamatory,” the AOC said of an online petition targeting the dancer and others, adding that the actions “stirred up public hatred without any factual basis. It’s appalling.”
Rachael Gunn, who competes as Raygun, spoke out on Instagram — starting with sending thanks to those who have supported her.
“I really appreciate the positivity and I'm glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives,” she said. “That's what I hoped.”
“I didn't realize that that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating,” Gunn added.
Gunn became a flashpoint in the final weekend of the Paris Games, after she broke out a host of unorthodox moves against the world’s best breakdancers. Images of her moving like a kangaroo, a snake and a sprinkler quickly became memes.
Comedian Rachel Dratch even impersonated the Australian during Jimmy Fallon’s monologue to open The Tonight Show.
@fallontonight Viral Australian breakdancer “Raygun” (Rachel Dratch) crashes Jimmy’s monologue! 🤣 #FallonTonight #TonightShow #RachelDratch #ParisOlympics #Breakdancing #Raygun #JimmyFallon ♬ original sound - FallonTonight
And while many people praised Gunn for her assuredness and confidence in performing in a way no one has ever done, her moves also drew a flotilla of criticism and questions.
Some even asked — or said outright — that it all might have been some type of hoax or research project for Gunn, 36, a full-time university lecturer who researches dance and gender politics and has studied a range of dance styles, according to her Olympics bio.
Some critics even accused Gunn of benefiting from a rigged competition, alleging that her trip to Paris was the product of a conspiracy.
In her statement on Instagram, Gunn said her goal was to have fun in her competition, while also taking it "very seriously."
"I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly," she said.
In the immediate aftermath of her ouster from medal contention, Gunn also said she purposefully chose to focus on originality and style in her moves, as a way to distinguish herself against rivals with strong skills in acrobatics and power moves.
"What I wanted to do was come out here and do something new and different and creative — that's my strength, my creativity," Gunn said, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
"I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get in a lifetime to do that on an international stage?"
In the process, Raygun managed to become the biggest talking point at an event that also included a visit from rapper and commentator Snoop Dogg. But despite the buzz, breaking has an uncertain future at the Olympics: the 2028 Summer Games, in Los Angeles, doesn't include breaking on its roster of events.
In her latest statement, Gunn spoke about the honor of going to the Paris Game and being part of breaking's Olympic debut, and she urged doubters to avoid "misinformation" and instead rely on sources such as the AOC and the official Olympics website for information about her competitions.
While Gunn didn't win a round in her dance battles, some judges did give her a slight edge in originality, and at least one did so in "vocabulary" — the variety of moves a dancer employs. Those are two of the five criteria used to select winners.
The AOC recently released a 12-point fact-check to combat the spread of outlandish claims against Gunn, saying no athlete should be treated the way she has.
AusBreaking, the national governing body, also debunked the attacks on Gunn — including the widely circulated, but false, allegation that her husband and coach, Samuel Free, had somehow orchestrated her victory in last year's qualifying competitions. The Australian Associated Press agreed with the organization, in a separate fact-check.
The World DanceSport Federation, breaking's sanctioning group, also issued a statement, saying it stands against harassment and abuse, including cyberbullying.
Gunn said she's planning to remain in Europe until September, for a vacation. She concluded her message by asking 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," she said.
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