Raygun reveals impact of ‘devastating’ breaking criticism at Olympics

The Australian athlete was the subject of criticism following her performance at Paris 2024

Raygun of Australia during the breaking B-girls round robin at La Concorde at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games in France (John Walton/PA) (PA Wire)

Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn, known as Raygun, called the response to her Paris 2024 Olympics performance “devastating”, after she was widely criticised following her debut at the Games.

The 36-year-old, who is a university lecturer in Sydney, lost all three of her round-robin contests by a combined score of 54-0 and was ridiculed on social media.

And Gunn has since spoken candidly about the abuse she received.

Speaking in an Instagram video, she said: "I really appreciated the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives - that’s what I hoped.

"Well, I went out there and I had fun - I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all. Truly.

AUSTRALIA-BREAKING (AP)

"And I’m honoured to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team; to be a part of breaking’s Olympic debut."

After Gunn’s performance, a petition was created calling for an apology from the athlete and Australia’s Olympic chef de mission Anna Meares. It has been signed more than 50,000 times and derides Gunn and Meares for "attempting to gaslight the public and undermining the efforts of genuine athletes".

Gunn defended herself after claims that she was not of the required standard to compete at the Olympics.

"Bit of a fun fact for you: there are actually no points in breaking," she said.

(Getty Images)

"If you want to see how the judges scored me compared to my opponents, you can actually see the comparison percentages across the five criteria on Olympics.com, external - all the results are there.

"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."