Broken Raygun says she played to her strengths in Olympic routine

Kangaroo-hopping Olympic breakdancer Raygun has opened up on her Paris routine, revealing she knew her chances of winning “were slim”, and she had to seek mental health help afterwards.

Kangaroo-hopping Aussie Olympic breakdancer Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn has opened up on her Paris routine, that became internationally famous for all the wrong reasons, revealing she had to seek mental health help afterwards.

Gunn on Wednesday night said on Channel 10’s The Project that following her globally mocked performance she had “up and downs … good and bad days” and felt like she was in “a really weird dream,” that she was going to wake up from.

It had been “a wild ride” and “definitely a tough time”, she said.

“Fortunately, I got some mental health support pretty quickly. And I also went off social media. I went off the internet, but it’s pretty up and down … it’s also just hard to process it all honestly … this became such a global storm,” Gunn said.

She said she believed many of the people slamming her routine didn’t understand breakdancing, and that it could be artistic and interpretative, as well as athletic.

Rachael Gunn shares her side of the story with The Project. Photo: Channel 10

Gunn revealed she hadn’t yet watched her whole Olympics routine back, only “bits and pieces”, but that she had gone into her performance knowing she was going to get beaten and many people likely wouldn’t get her cultural references, including the boxing kangaroo.

“I knew my chances were slim. As soon as I qualified, I was like, ‘oh my gosh, what have I done?’ Because I knew that I was going to get beaten. I knew that people were not going to understand my style and what I was going to do,” she said.

“I wanted to bring out some Australian moves and themes. You know, I love our Olympic mascot, BK, the boxing kangaroo, and I wanted to show that. And that’s the wonderful thing about breaking, you can take inspiration from any source.

“I had to go with what I was good at. I had to go with my strengths … but it just wasn’t enough to tip the scales. The odds were against me, that’s for sure.”

Gunn said she would not be competing again in the near future, because of the unexpected and devastating “hate” and vitriol she had copped.

Raygun said she was worried people would not understand her artistic cultural references, like the boxing kangaroo. Picture: Getty

Aussie moves were not Raygun’s friend at the Olympics. Picture: Getty

Conspiracy theories about her performance “were just awful”, she said.

“That was really upsetting because it wasn’t just people that didn’t understand breaking and were just angry about my performance, it was people that are now attacking our reputation and our integrity,” Gunn said.

“And … none of them were grounded in any kind of facts, and obviously they’re (conspiracies) still circulating.”

Among the positives, however, were the many people in the breakdancing and wider Olympic community who had come out in support of her, Gunn said, as well as some extraordinary offers, including a call from Sir Richard Branson, who wanted to have her “on some cruises with Boy George”.

Raygun broke her silence about the worldwide flak she copped for her Paris performance on social media, on August 15.

In an Instagram post, Gunn said she “gave her all” in the competition and worked her “butt off” to prepare for it.

Her unique breakdancing style – which included a kangaroo hop – went viral, gaining international attention from American talk show host Jimmy Fallon and singing superstar, Adele.

Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn broke her silence on Instagram on August 15. Picture: Instagram

Raygun was mocked around the globe, including on The Jimmy Fallon Show.

It’s also led to an online petition targeting Gunn and demanding a public apology which the Australian Olympic Committee labelled “vexatious, misleading and bullying”.

“I just want to start by thanking all the people who supported me. I really appreciate all the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy to your life” Gunn said in the August Instagram post.

“I didn’t also think that would open the door to so much hate which has frankly been devastating.”

Despite claims Raygun did not take her Olympic debut seriously, she said she gave it her all.

“I went out there and I had fun, I did take it very seriously,” she said.

“I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly.

“I am honoured to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of breaking’s Olympic debut.”

She also pleaded for people to “stop harassing” her family, friends and the wider breaking community.

Dr Gunn is a cultural studies academic who qualified for the Olympics at the Oceania qualifier in October 2023.

“All my moves are original … creativity is really important to me. I go out there and I show my artistry,” Gunn has previously said.