Australian Breakdancer Raygun Addresses Olympic Controversy in Documentary

Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn, professionally known as Raygun, opened up from her Sydney home about her viral Paris Olympics routine ahead of the September 1 release of her new Netflix documentary, "Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly."

The 36-year-old dancer became the subject of widespread online mockery after losing 18-0 in all three round-robin matches at the Games. Her performance included distinct creative moves such as the Australian sprinkler dance and kangaroo hops.

Following the event, Gunn faced intense public attention, online parody, and conspiracy theories alleging fraudulent qualification, leading her to seek mental health therapy to process the overwhelming backlash.

Gunn reflected on her journey and current mindset while discussing the upcoming film, which chronicles her path to the Paris Games and the personal toll of sudden internet fame.

"Paris is now just a part of my story," said Rachael Gunn, Australian breakdancer. "For me, it’s more about radical acceptance of everything that’s happened and just one foot in front of the other, just trying to move ahead."

The dancer highlighted the inner drive that motivated her unconventional routine despite the immediate harsh reactions online.

"I can’t just be a meme," said Gunn.

Reflecting on her performance, Gunn emphasized her commitment to her artistic expression over conforming to expectations.

"It was important to me to go out there and be myself, to be creative and to not be afraid to be different," said Gunn. "No regrets."

Addressing the intense spotlight, Gunn noted the necessity of waiting for public outrage to subside before telling her side of the story.

"I’ve got distance," said Gunn. "It’s given me some time and space to process everything that’s happened. I’ve really focused on my mental health, and I feel like I’m in a good place to share my side of the story.

There was a lot of misinformation, conspiracy theories and speculation. There was a lot of noise, and I think there’s something to be said for waiting for that noise to die down."

Gunn also discussed reviewing the film, which documents her preparation and pre-competition anxiety.

"I have watched the documentary, yes," said Gunn. "I did have a nice glass, or few, of champagne as I watched it, which certainly helped! I think the distance from it made it feel less raw.

It felt less immediate. So, it was different this time, and I’ve worked on a lot in therapy!"

She revisited watching the original footage after initially fearing the worst.

"No, I had seen the performance itself," said Gunn. "I can’t remember why, but I ended up watching it and I was like, 'Oh, it’s not as bad as I thought!'"

Gunn acknowledged feeling aware of her physical limitations compared to rival competitors prior to stepping onto the Olympic stage.

"Oh, that’s fantastic," said Gunn. "It was a slow-motion car crash! I was just trying to reduce the impact in whatever way possible!

But no, I also thought that I was being a little dramatic and that it wasn’t going to be that bad: As if the world’s going to laugh at me! That’s a bit silly thinking that, Rachael. But they did — they did for quite some time.

It was tough. I knew that I moved differently. I knew that I had a different approach to everyone else that had qualified.

I’d had a very different journey through breaking as well, starting later in life. There was a lot of things that I was aware that people might not understand or might think was particularly weird if the last time they saw breaking was 'Beat Street' or something from the ’80s. Doing that on the world stage took a different level of guts.

But it was important to me to go out there and be myself, to be creative and to not be afraid to be different. No regrets."