Breakdancer ‘Raygun’ Speaks Out in First Interview Since Maligned Olympic Performance: ‘I Knew That I Was Gonna Get Beaten’

Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn opened up about the backlash to her Olympic performance in her first interview since the Paris games.

Gunn, who goes by the stage name “Raygun” during competitions, became a global sensation thanks to her contributions to the breakdancing’s Olympic debut. During her three round-robin battles, she lost 18-0 all three times and failed to score a single point from the judges. She was mocked on social media for her dancing, and the jokes even made their way onto The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon .

The performance was so puzzling that a theory was formed online about her placement in the Olympics. According to the theory, Gunn created her country’s breaking federation. During qualifying competitions, it was claimed, she was given another leg up in the form of her husband being one of the judges.

That theory, however, was quickly debunked.

“The conspiracy theories were just awful,” she said in an interview with Australian outlet The Project . “That was 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… None of them were grounded in any kind of facts; and, obviously, they’re still circulating. People still don’t believe the truth, but we do live in a different world now so I think that’s just gonna be part of our reality, unfortunately.”

Gunn confirmed that she earned her spot at the Olympics by winning the Oceania Championships. All nine judges were from overseas and, to her knowledge, had never judged her in competition before.

Despite earning her spot, she was realistic about her chances in the Olympics. Though she said she’s won competitions all over her home country, the 37-year-old knew her unique style of breaking likely wouldn’t score well.

“I knew my chances were slim,” she said with a laugh. “As soon as I qualified, I was like, ‘Oh my gosh, what have I done?’ because I knew that I was gonna get beaten; and I knew that people were not gonna understand my style and what I was gonna do.

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