Key Factors
- Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn was interviewed for the primary time since her Olympic efficiency.
- In response to the web hate and mock she has obtained she stated she was “unhappy to listen to criticism”.
- She needs her breakdancing report to “communicate for itself”.
Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has spoken out for the primary time since competing on the 2024 Paris Olympics, saying what transpired afterwards had felt “like a very bizarre dream” that she was ready to awake from.
“I am nonetheless within the strategy of having the ability to describe how I really feel,” she stated in her first tv interview since turning into a family identify in Australia.
Her strikes went viral after competing within the group stage of the competitors in France however failing to progress any additional.
Australian Olympic breaking athlete Rachael “Raygun” Gunn is but to return to Australia following the Olympics. Supply: Getty / Cameron Spencer
An interview with the 36-year-old b-girl and tutorial, who’s but to return to Australia following the Olympics, aired on The Mission tv present on Wednesday night time.
Gunn was , the place the game made its Olympic debut.
She scored zero in her three breaking battles and her efficiency, which included strikes such because the now-famous “kangaroo hop”, went viral on-line and drew each reward and mock.
World consideration
Gunn stated she had not initially been conscious of the size of worldwide consideration because the Australian Olympic Workforce’s media officer had steered she “keep off socials for a bit”.
“I did preview some feedback and I used to be like, ‘Oh, no,’ and this type of sick feeling began, began popping out, I used to be like, ‘Oh, goodness! What has occurred?'”
Gunn stated she had obtained assist for her psychological well being and was nonetheless processing what she described as a “fairly wild experience”.
She stated after being chased by journalists in Paris the day following her efficiency she went right into a “state of panic”.
“I used to be fairly nervous being out in public ‘trigger I simply did not know what was secure, if anybody was going to recognise me, how they have been going to answer seeing me,” Gunn stated.
The second that made her really feel just like the state of affairs was actually “uncontrolled” was when she heard in regards to the sketch about her on the Jimmy Fallon Present.
“I do not know whether or not to, like, hug him or yell at him!”
Breaking kinds
Gunn stated she put a lot of the criticism of her dancing all the way down to “individuals not being very conversant in breaking and the range of approaches in breaking”.
“You could have the athletic-style breakers and also you even have the extra artistic-style breakers and all of them are very legitimate.”
“I needed to go together with my strengths, so within the judging standards, you’ve got received execution, approach, originality, vocabulary, vary and repertoire of motion, and musicality.
“I assumed I might deal with these final three, nevertheless it simply wasn’t sufficient to tip the scales.”
Conspiracy theories
Whereas theories about her manipulating the choice course of to get to the Olympics took maintain on-line, the Australian Olympic Committee responded to say Gunn’s choice had been “respectable”,
“None of them have been grounded in any form of details,” she stated.
“Individuals nonetheless do not consider the reality, however we do reside in a distinct world now, so I feel that is simply going to be a part of our actuality sadly.”
The Mission host Waleed Aly requested Gunn if she genuinely thought she was the perfect feminine breakdancer in Australia, to which she replied: “My report speaks to that, I used to be the top-ranked Australian b-girl in 2020 and 2022 and 2023.”
Whereas many within the breaking group have defended Gunn’s efficiency, not everybody has spoken kindly about her skills.
“It’s actually unhappy to listen to these criticisms and I’m very sorry for the backlash that the group has skilled,” she stated.
“However I am unable to management how individuals react.”
Slim probabilities
Gunn stated she knew her probabilities going into the Olympics can be “slim”.
“As quickly as I certified, I used to be like, ‘Oh, my gosh, what have I executed?!’ As a result of I knew that I used to be gonna get overwhelmed and I knew that individuals weren’t going to grasp my fashion and what I used to be gonna do,” she stated.
“Traditionally, sadly, we [Australia] have not had the perfect monitor report of successful World Championships, so, you realize, I do not suppose that is simply on me.”
Rachael “Raygun” Gunn’s kangaroo hop has grow to be a meme all over the world. Supply: Getty / Ezra Shaw
Gunn talked about making an attempt to get extra individuals already within the breaking scene to participate in competitions in Australia and stated with extra sources, Australia might have a greater probability to area breakdancing world champions.
An alarming degree of vitriol
Gunn stated the vitriol that some individuals confirmed to her on-line was “fairly alarming”.
She stated there had been “a portion of very offended and terrible responses, not solely attacking me however attacking my husband, attacking my crew, attacking the breaking and road dance group in Australia, my household,” she stated.
Nevertheless she stated there had been each “ups and downs” and she or he most popular to deal with constructive consideration.
“I by no means thought that I might be capable to join with so many individuals in such a constructive approach, so, that has been simply so superb.”
Raygun’s future in dancing
Gunn stated she had discovered it powerful to bounce for the reason that backlash and didn’t suppose she can be participating in any breakdancing competitions any time quickly.
“It was my medication, after which it was my supply of stress,” she stated.
