- Raygun has spoken out following her Olympic Games disaster
- The Aussie breakdancer has been widely mocked following her performance
- She said the online abuse has been ‘pretty devastating’
Raygun has broken her silence following her disastrous Olympic Games performance
The 36-year-old university lecturer said she has been left heartbroken by the ‘pretty devastating’ online hate she has received since her breakdancing routine in Paris, in which she was widely mocked for mimicking a kangaroo and snake.
She has kept a low profile since the closing ceremony, remaining under the radar by going on holiday with her husband and coach Samuel Free instead of returning home to Australia with her fellow Olympians.
But on Thursday, Raygun, whose real name is Rachael Gunn, resurfaced to make a statement about her performance, the resulting reaction and the ‘misinformation’ that has circulated about her selection on the Australian team.
‘Hi everyone, Raygun here,’ she said in a video posted on Instagram. ‘I just wanna start by thanking all the people who have supported me.
‘I really appreciate the positivity and I am glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives, that is what I had hoped.
‘I didn’t realise that that would also open the door to to much hate which has frankly been pretty devastating.
‘While I went out there and had fun, I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave it my all. Truly.
Raygun has spoken for the first time since going viral at the Olympic Games in Paris
The university lecturer, 36, was ruthlessly mocked online for her performance in Paris
‘I’m honoured to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of breaking’s Olympic debut. What the other athletes have achieved has just been phenomenal.’
Raygun then turned her attention to the conspiracy theories that have erupted online regarding her performance, with some suggesting that she entered as part of a ‘social experiment’.
Almost 50,000 people have also signed a change.org petition calling for ‘immediate accountability and transparency in the recent actions’ of Gunn and Paris chef de mission Anna Meares over how Gunn won selection to represent Australia in Paris.
The call to action accuses the 36-year-old of ‘manipulating the selection process to her own advantage’ so she could be chosen above more talented Aussie female breakers – an allegation described as ‘raising serious questions about the fairness and integrity of the process’.
No evidence has been provided to back up the petition’s claims.
AOC boss Matt Carroll said the petition, which demands a public apology from Gunn and Meares, is ‘appalling’ and has ‘no factual basis’.
‘In regards to the allegations and misinformation floating around, I’d like to ask everyone to please 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,’ Raygun said.
She also attempted to debunk claims she scored zero points across her three battles, saying: ‘Bit of a fun fact for you: there are actually no points in breaking. If you want to see how the judges thought I compared to my opponents, you can actually see the comparison percentages across all five criteria on Olympics.com, all the results are there.’
At the time of publication, Raygun still has zero points on the official Olympics website while her American opponent, Logistx, has two.
‘I’m going to be in Europe for a few weeks, for some pre-planned downtime but I would really like to ask the press to pleae 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’d like to ask for their privacy.
‘I will be happy to answer more questions on my return to Australia.’
More to follow.