Australian Olympic break dancer Rachael Gunn ‘devastated’ with all the ‘hate’ messages: ‘Stop harassing my family’

From Olympic Dream to Devastating Backlash: The Story of Australian Olympic Break Dancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn

Rachael “Raygun” Gunn, a popular name with Australian breakdancing, found herself at the
center of a media storm following her performance at the Paris Olympics 2024. The historic
debut of breakdancing on the Olympic stage took a surprising turn for Gunn, who faced a
relentless wave of criticism and online abuse despite her best efforts.

Gunn, a seasoned breaker and academic, participated in the competition with immense
dedication. In an Instagram video filled with both disappointment and resilience, she addressed
the unexpected negativity: “I’m truly grateful for the positive messages and the joy I was able to
share. It saddens me that it also opened the door to so much hate,” she confessed. “But I want to
be clear, I had fun. This was serious – I trained incredibly hard and gave it my absolute all.”

Beyond the disappointment in performance critiques, Gunn found herself battling a tide of
misinformation. Accusations and rumours regarding her selection process, fueled by an online
petition, cast a shadow on her achievement. The petition, garnering over 50,000 signatures
before its removal for spreading falsehoods, demanded an apology from Gunn and officials.
However, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) firmly refuted these claims, reiterating the
transparency and fairness of the selection process.

Gunn, understandably distressed by the situation, requested privacy for herself, her family, and
the broader Australian breakdancing community. The intense scrutiny and harassment took a toll
on everyone involved. Despite the negativity, Gunn expressed pride in representing Australia at
this historic Olympic debut.
“The pressure on the media to respect the privacy is real,” she pleaded. “My family, friends, and
the entire Australian breaking community have been deeply affected. Please give us all some
space to heal.”

The AOC echoed Gunn’s sentiment. CEO Matt Carroll condemned the false
allegations, calling them “disgraceful and defamatory.” He demanded the petition’s immediate
removal and emphasized that “no athlete representing their country deserves such bullying.”
As Gunn recuperates from the emotional burden of the ordeal, she hopes to return from this
experience stronger.

This incident highlights the harsh reality that sometimes, even Olympic
dreams can become entangled with online toxicity and the spread of misinformation.
Raygun’s unconventional performance against international competitors like Logan Edra (USA),
Dominika Banevič (Lithuania), and Sya Dembélé (France) garnered worldwide attention.
However, it also sparked controversy, with accusations flying that she’d rigged the Australian
selection process.

Following her zero-point performance at the Olympics, Raygun, a 36-year-old b-girl, expressed
shock at the unexpected negativity she faced on social media.
An online petition, attracting over 45,000 signatures, alleged Raygun (real name Rachael Gunn)
manipulated the selection to her benefit. It even questioned a possible conflict of interest
involving her husband.

The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) fiercely defended Gunn, calling the petition
“disgraceful” and “filled with falsehoods.” Matt Carroll, the AOC CEO, emphasized a fair and
independent selection process and demanded the petition’s removal from Change.org.

The committee countered the petition’s claims point-by-point, clarifying that an independent
panel of nine international judges assessed Gunn’s qualifying event win. They further clarified
that neither Gunn nor her husband held any positions within the organizing bodies, AUS
Breaking or Dance Sport Australia.