Breaker Raygun ‘devastated’ by backlash after Paris Olympics performance
Al Jazeera
Australian Rachael Gunn said she was not prepared for the level of negative attention she received after her Olympic debut.
Australian breaker Rachael Gunn has said the backlash to her much-ridiculed Olympic breaking performance was “devastating”, stressing that she took the competition seriously and gave it her best effort.
The 36-year-old known as Raygun said in a video posted on Instagram on Thursday that she was not prepared for the level of negative attention she had received since judges awarded her zero points in her Olympic debut.
“I didn’t realise that that would also open the door to so much hate, which has, frankly, been pretty devastating,” Gunn said. “But I went out there and I had fun. I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly.”
The sport of breaking made its Olympic debut in Paris, and one of its most viral images was the performance of Gunn, a university professor from Sydney – who did a “kangaroo dance” among other moves during her routine – and did not receive a single point from any of the nine judges in either round.
Gunn was subsequently mocked for her efforts, including a parody on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” in the United States.
