Australian Breakdancer Raygun Says Hate After Olympics Has Been ‘Devastating’

Raygun isn’t loving the sudden attention that’s come after her breakdancing performance at the 2024 Olympics. On Thursday, the Australian breaker, whose real name is Rachel Gunn, shared a video addressing some of the hate she’s received after the Paris Games.

“I just want to start by thanking all the people who have supported me,” Gunn said in a video on Instagram. “I really appreciate the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That’s what I hoped.”

“I didn’t realize that would also open the door to so much hate, which frankly has been pretty devastating,” she added.

Gunn’s out-of-the-ordinary moves while facing the United States’ Logan Edra led her to go viral on social media. (A Rolling Stone take said Gunn had “won our hearts” despite her earning 0 points in the competition.) Rachel Dratch even spoofed her routine on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon earlier this week.

“When I went out there, I had fun. I did take it very seriously,” she continued. “I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics. I gave my all, truly. I am honored to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and been a part of Breaking’s Olympic debut.”

Raygun also addressed some false rumors that she had manipulated her way into the Olympic Games. She directed folks to a statement from the Australian Olympic Committee that confirmed she had joined the team fairly. “I really would like to ask the press to 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 respect their privacy.”

Gunn ended her video by saying she would take some “pre-planned” time off in Europe and would be open to answering more questions once she returned to her home country.

The 36-year-old is a college professor who holds a music degree and a Ph.D. in cultural studies. She has researched breaking, street dance, hip-hop, and gender at Macquarie University in Sydney and won the Oceania breaking championships to qualify for the Olympics. New Yorker columnist Jay Caspian Kang pointed out in a lengthy analysis on X that Gunn has written extensively about her participation in the scene.

“We confessed what is subculturally considered a shameful secret: that Hip Hop is only part of our lives,” she wrote in a co-authored paper. “To gain respect and eventually a position of authority in the scene, you need to spend years representing, you need to know your history, you need to meet and learn from the right people, you need to be in the right places.”