Raygun, the 2024 Olympics breaking star whose performance was widely panned by the internet (and the Paris judges), took to social media on Thursday to say backlash against her “has been pretty devastating.”
Raygun, real name Rachael Gunn, represented Australia for breaking’s first ever year at the Olympic Games. Her performance was widely ridiculed, and she later faced further criticism after rumors surfaced that she manipulated Australia’s selection process to be allowed onto the team.
“I just want to start by thanking all the people who have supported me. I really appreciate the positivity, and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives,” Raygun began her video message posted to Instagram on Thursday. “I didn’t realize that [it] would also open the door to so much hate, which, frankly, has been pretty devastating.”
She continued, “While 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. I’m honored to have been part of the Australian Olympic Team and to be a part of breaking’s Olympics debut. What the other athletes have achieved has just been phenomenal.”
Raygun, who also wrote a Ph.D. on Australia’s breaking culture, then addressed “the allegations and misinformation floating around,” and directed those interested to statements from the Australian Olympic Committee, the @ausbreaking Instagram page, and the World DanceSport Federation Breaking for Gold page.
A statement from AUSbreaking noted several days ago that the Australian Breaking Team’s selection process adhered to the WDSF regulations, “which align with International Olympic Committee (IOC) standards, the process aimed to ensure a fair and transparent outcome.”
“Ultimately, Rachael Gunn and Jeff Dunne emerged as the top performers in exactly the same process, securing their spots to represent Australia in Paris, the statement continued. “Their selection was based solely on their performance in their battles on that day.”
It concluded, “We condemn the global online harassment and bullying of Raygun. The pressure to perform on the Olympic stage is immense, especially against the opponents in her particular group. We stand in solidarity with Raygun.”
A statement from the AOC reflected a similar message; a statement from the WDSF condemned cyberbullying and harassment, though did not name Raygun specifically.
In her Instagram message, the b-girl went on to address internet hate over the fact that she reportedly received a score of zero from the judges.
“There are actually no points in breaking,” she said. “If you want to see how the judges thought I compared to my opponents, you can actually see the comparison percentages across the five criteria on olympics.com. The results are there.”
On olympics.com, the website displays breaking competition outcomes by number of votes from the 18 judges. Raygun received zero votes from all three rounds of her competition, thus losing each one 0-18.
Raygun finished her message with a request for privacy. “Please stop harassing my family, my friends, the Australian breaking community and the broader street dance community,” she said. “Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this, so I ask you to please respect their privacy. I’ll be happy to answer more questions on my return to Australia.”
