Australian breakdancer Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn has announced she’s retiring from professional breaking following the backlash for her performance in Paris.
The country’s entrant for breaking – the competitive version of breakdancing – at the 2024 Paris Olympics went viral this summer with her unique take on the sport.
At the time, many social media users mocked the 37-year-old Olympian for her unorthodox moves, which included a kangaroo hop.
However, others, including the singer Adele, praised the university lecturer for bravely taking to the stage and doing what she loves.
Gunn didn’t win any points during the competition, and some viewers were left questioning how she qualified for the battle in the first place.
While the breaker defended her performance, she has since found it hard to continue competing, suggesting to Aussie radio station 2DayFM that she would no longer perform professionally.
“I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems a really difficult thing for me to do now, to approach a battle,” she told 2DayFm.
Raygun also implied that her Olympics experience had a negative effect on her, adding: “Dancing is so much fun, and it makes you feel good. I don’t think people should feel crap about the way that they dance.”
She added: “I still dance and I still break but that’s like, in my living room with my partner.”
This year marked the first time breaking has featured as an Olympic sport, with a number of international B-boys and B-girls taking to the stage for a shot at gold.
Raygun’s unconventional performance helped to propel breaking into the spotlight while raising the question of whether it should be considered an Olympic sport at all.
Another competitor, Afghanistan’s Manizha Talash, also made headlines when she was disqualified from the competition for making a political statement with cape that read “Free Afghan Women”.
Ultimately, Japan’s Ami Yuasa went on to claim the top spot in the female ‘B-girl’ event.
Following her stint in Paris, Raygun opened up about how her viral fame had a challenging impact on her life and said the negative posts had been “devastating”.
Months after the event, she also apologised to the breakdancing community.
“I am very sorry for the backlash that the community has experienced, but I can’t control how people react,” she told Network Ten’s The Project in September.
Gunn also suggested that people chasing her following her newfound fame left her in a “state of panic”.
Breaking will not return as a sport at the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles.
