Australian Breakdancer ‘Raygun’ Apologizes For Causing Controversy At Paris Olympics, Stands By Choreographed Routine
Team Australia's B-girl Raegan competes in the B-girl Round Robin Group B during day 14 of the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at Place de la Concorde in Paris, France on August 9, 2024. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)
By Brooke Mallory, OAN Staff Wednesday, September 4, 2024 3:37 PM
Breakdancer Rachel Gunn, who will represent Australia at the 2024 Olympic Games, has apologised to the “breaking community” for the negative feedback and controversy her dance performance at last month's Paris Games caused.
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Gunn, who goes by the stage name Raygun, expressed regret over the negative reaction her performance has caused in the community during an interview on Australian current affairs show “The Project” that aired on Wednesday.
She also condemned those who she deemed to be hateful and cruel in their reactions to her dance “approach.”
“It was really sad that it sparked so much hate, but a lot of that reaction was down to people not being very familiar with breaking or the diversity of approaches within breaking,” she added.
In August, the 36-year-old dancer and university lecturer was defeated 18-0 over three rounds in an Olympic match against breakers from the United States, France and Lithuania, without winning a single point.
She performed a number of contortions, including “kangaroo hops” and “backflips,” while lying and crawling on the floor. In an interview with The Project, Gunn described her breaking technique as “just a different approach to the sport.”
During the Olympics, Gunn's actions attracted worldwide attention. Actress Rachel Dratch said:The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy FallonBritish singer-songwriter Adele briefly stopped a concert in Munich, Germany, to ask whether Reagan's Olympic breakdancing performance was an intentional “joke.”
“Unfortunately, Australia needs a few more resources to have a chance of being world champions. Historically, Australia doesn't have a very good track record of winning world championships, so I don't think that's just my fault,” Gunn said.
The Australian breaker claimed he hadn't seen Fallon's sketch, but said in an interview on Wednesday, “At the end of the day, I didn't know whether to hug Fallon or yell at him because he gave me such an amazing platform.”
“It feels like I'm having a really weird dream that I'm going to wake up from at any moment,” she added.
Gunn claimed that her last “Oceania Championship victory” earned her a place in the Paris Olympics, and admitted that she is “very nervous” about competing in the 2024 Olympics. Her statement came after online rumors circulated that Gunn had been romantically involved with one of the judges at the last qualifying tournament, but she has categorically denied these allegations.
“Theories about how Gunn qualified to compete in the Olympics have circulated online, and a Change.org petition alleging she had manipulated the qualification process garnered more than 45,000 signatures before the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) asked for it to be removed.” The New York Times Reported.
Later in the interview, Ally asked Gunn if she really thought she was the best female breakdancer in Australia.
“Well, I think my record speaks for itself,” Gunn replied. “I was No. 1 Australian B-girl ranking in 2020, 2022 and 2023. I've been invited to represent Australia at a number of World Championships, including Paris and Korea. So, I have the record, but in a fight you never know what's going to happen.”
🇦🇺Who did they send?
A full-time lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney, 36-year-old Reagan holds a PhD in Blake Cultures and is also a lecturer in media, creative arts, literature and languages.
Rachel “Raegan” Gunn made headlines around the world with her breakdancing performance at the Olympic Games in Paris last month.
Now, for the first time, “Raegun” has spoken about how she qualified to compete and revealed whether she plans to take up breakdancing again. pic.twitter.com/78oUEvHBgl
