"There was so much hate and emotion" - Breakdancer Raygun opens up on facing severe criticism following Paris Olympics

Rachael Louise Gunn, widely known by her competitive moniker, ‘Raygun,’ has spoken out about her experiences and the negative comments she received following the 2024 Paris Olympics. Notably, during the quadrennial Games, the Australian breakdancer faced significant backlash, with many raising questions regarding her qualification for the prestigious event after her performances in Paris went viral online.

In an interview this week with Stellar Magazine, where she also appeared on the cover of the latest issue, Raygun spoke about comments regarding her age after her performance in Paris. She said,

“Our culture is very obsessed with age…I think it’s been a real sticking point for a lot of people: me essentially not knowing my place, what I should be doing with my time at this age, [in their view] it’s certainly not participating in that environment, even though I wasn’t the oldest there.”

During the interaction, she also shared how people on social media criticized her, saying that at her age, she should be picking up kids from school instead of competing.

She also spoke on the hate comments she got after the Paris Olympics, adding:

“There was so much hate and emotion that I needed to wait for everyone to calm down a bit...I think the haters want me to be locked away in a room, ashamed and quiet.”

After winning the women's breaking individual event at the QMS Oceania Breaking Championship held in 2023 in Sydney, Gunn secured her qualification by earning Australia’s first-ever Olympic spot in the B-Girl competition.

However, Gunn's Olympics campaign not only ended with the viral video but also with disappointing results as she failed to win a single round-robin match, losing to the USA’s Logistx, Lithuania’s Nicka, and France’s Syssy, all with the same margin 2-0.

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Breakdancer Raygun on whether she is the best female breaker in Australia: "My records speak to that"

Raygun at Paris Olympics 2024. (Photo by Rene Nijhuis/BSR Agency/Getty Images)

Australian breakdancer Raygun weighed in on her record as a breakdancer. In an interview with The Project, she was asked if she thought she was the best female breaker in Australia. She replied,

“Well, I think my records speak to that. You know, I was the top-ranked Australian b-girl and in 2020, 2022, and 2023, I have been invited to represent at how many World Championships - Paris, Korea. The record is there” (12:34).

She added,

“But anything can happen in a battle, you know. It’s all about what happens on the day. That consistency shows my level.”

The 37-year-old further expressed her reluctance to compete and be in the public eye for a while. Raygun added that dancing, which was once a source of joy, has now become stressful for her.