Australian Olympic breakdancer Raygun describes the viral reaction as “pretty devastating”

Australia's viral Olympic breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has finally made a public statement about her internationally reviled performance at the Paris Games, and it seems she's owning up to her efforts. The Games may be over, but the drama continues.

In a video posted to Instagram on Thursday, Raygun explained that she was not prepared for the backlash she received and that she had hoped to “bring some joy into [people’s] Life.”

“I didn't realise that it would also open the door to so much hate, which was quite devastating to be honest,” Raygun said. “Even though I went out there and had fun, I took it very seriously. I worked my ass off preparing for the Olympics and really gave it my all. I'm honoured to have been part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of the Olympic debut of the sport of breakdancing.”

Raygun also addressed the “accusations and misinformation that are floating around.” The Australian Olympian's breakdancing performance sparked numerous theories about how she managed to make the Olympic team in the first place. On social media, people speculated that she earned her spot in a less than honest way.

In response, Raygun asked people to refer to the statements made by the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC), AUSBreaking and the World DanceSport Federation (WDSF). She also mentioned that breaking doesn't earn points, in an apparent effort to dispel misinformation about her performance.

“If you want to see how the judges found me compared to my opponents, you can look at the percentage comparisons for the five criteria on Olympics.com,” Raygun said.

While it is true that judges did not award “points” to dancers in the Olympic Breaking Dances, further clarification does not help Raygun much. The Olympic Breaking Dances competed in individual competitions of up to three rounds, with each dancer having one minute per round to perform. A panel of nine judges evaluated each round based on the dancers' technique, vocabulary, execution, musicality and originality, then chose a winner.

However, Raygun didn't just lose three rounds. Her infamous 0-3 result is the result of losing all six rounds in all three fights she took part in, failing to emerge victorious against Logistx from the USA, Syssy from France and Nicka from Lithuania. None of her fights went beyond three rounds.

The 2024 Olympic gold medal in women's breakdancing ultimately went to Japan's Ami Yuasa, Lithuania's Dominika Banevič took silver and China's Liu Qingyi won bronze.

Raygun ended her video by asking the media to leave her, her family and friends, and the breakdancing community alone, stating that she would be happy to answer more questions once she returns to Australia from a planned vacation in Europe.

The Australian Olympic Committee supports Raygun

Raygun will compete in the Oceania Breaking Championship finals in Sydney on October 28, 2023.
Photo credit: Mark Kolbe / Getty Images

According to the AOC statement referred to by Raygun, the WDSF set the system and selected the judges for the 2023 Oceania Breaking Championship, which was Australia's Olympic qualifying event. The competition was then run by AUSBreaking under the approval of the WDSF and DanceSport Australia, with Raygun winning the event and DanceSport Australia thus being nominated for the country's Olympic team.

“Dr Rachael Gunn does not hold a position with AUSBreaking or DanceSport Australia in any capacity,” the AOC wrote. “She is simply an athlete who competed in the qualifying event, which she won. There were no athlete appeals. Dr Gunn has no responsibility for funding decisions in her sport.” [Raygun’s husband] Mr Samuel Free is a coach who does not hold any role with AUSBreaking or DanceSport Australia and was not a judge at the qualifying event.”

For this reason, AOC condemned an anonymous petition on Change.org that called for “immediate accountability and transparency” regarding Raygun's alleged involvement in the Paris Olympics selection process. The petition, created over the weekend, received over 38,000 signatures before Change.org removed it, reporting that the platform had been flagged for misinformation.

AOC's stance was backed by AUSBreaking, which expressed support for Raygun in several Instagram posts. AUSBreaking condemned the “global online harassment” that Raygun has faced and dismissed the rumor that either she or Free were involved in the Olympic selection process.

“Bgirl Raygun has been accused of creating her own governing body for breaking and then using her position to manipulate the selection process for her own benefit,” AUSBreaking wrote. “While AUSBreaking had many interactions and points of contact with Raygun, at no time was AUSBreaking the founder, CEO, committee member or in any leadership position. She was not involved in any decisions regarding events, funding, strategy, judge selection or athlete selection.”

The WDSF has not made any recent statements directly addressing Raygun's situation, but the organization seemed to allude to it in an Instagram post uploaded over the weekend, in which it stated that the WDSF “strongly opposes any form of harassment or abuse, including cyberbullying.”

“Our athletes deserve respect and support in pursuing their dreams,” the WDSF wrote. “Let's treat every athlete with respect and create a supportive environment for all.”

Australian Olympic breakdancer Raygun continues to disappoint audiences

Raygun competes against Syssy from Team France at the Olympic Games in Paris.
Photo credit: Ezra Shaw / Getty Images

The comments on Raygun's Instagram reel were mostly unsympathetic, with many saying that Raygun was trying to portray herself as a victim rather than owning up to her lackluster performance.

“Have you practiced for this gig?” wrote mrealtor.

“Honest criticism is not hate,” said attytjj. “Attacking honest feedback as hate is gaslighting and an attempt to demean those who provide honest feedback and criticism through name-calling and accusations.”

Some commentators also noted Raygun's academic background. Raygun works as a lecturer at Macquarie University in Australia and has a PhD in breakdancing and dance culture. For many, these intellectually focused qualifications are anathema to the breakdancing subculture and spirit that emanated from disenfranchised blacks and Puerto Ricans in the Bronx in the 1970s.

“What bothers me is that there was probably a young person, perhaps from a disadvantaged background, who could not only dance better, but whose life would have been changed by the opportunity to compete in the Olympics,” divine_awen wrote. “Instead of taking the opportunity herself, she could have supported it.”

“Play the victim card… just apologize for how bad you were and you will probably gain more respect…” Nekovujevic said.

Breaking will not be part of the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles. The organizers decided to drop the format long before Raygun became internationally famous. Maybe that's for the best.