Appearing in an Instagram Video , the Australian — who went viral last week during the Olympics’ inaugural breakdancing competition, where she lost all three of her matches 18-0 — said she “didn’t realize” what unfolded in Paris “would also open the door to so much hate,” which she called “pretty devastating.”
“Hi everyone, Raygun here. I just want to start by thanking all the people who have supported me, I really appreciate the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives, that’s what I hoped,” the 36-year-old Gunn began.
Gunn’s performance at the Olympics included moves which mimicked a snake and a kangaroo, and even did the sprinkler. CAROLINE BLUMBERG/EPA-EFE/Shutterstock
“I didn’t realize that that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating. While 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. I’m honored to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of breaking’s Olympic debut. What the other athletes have achieved has just been phenomenal.”
Gunn then addressed the “allegations and misinformation floating around” in the wake of her widely criticized performance, including an online petition the Australian Olympic Committee has since denounced.
“I’d like to ask everyone to please refer to the recent statement made by the AOC, as well as the posts on the Ausbreaking Instagram page, as well as the WDSF Breaking for Gold page,” said Gunn, a breaking researcher at Macquarie University in Sydney.
Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has finally broken her silence, taking to Instagram in a video to address the swirling storm after her Olympic performance. Instagram / @raygun_aus “Hi everyone, Raygun here. I just want to start by thanking all the people who have supported me, I really appreciate the positivity and I was glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives — that’s what I hoped,” Gunn started. Instagram / @raygun_aus
“Bit of a fun fact for you, there are actually no points in breaking. If you want to see how the judges thought I compared to my opponents, you can actually see the comparison percentages across the five criteria on Olympics.com.”
Gunn, who is going to enjoy some “pre-planned downtime” in Europe, then requested the media to “please stop harassing” her loved ones and the Australian breaking community, among others.
“Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this so I ask you to please respect their privacy,” she said. “I’ll be happy to answer more questions on my return to Australia.”
The 36-year-old Australian has been widely panned across social media as well as by celebrities in the fallout of her performance in Paris. REUTERS Even Gunn’s fashion was criticized as the other competitors came out in street clothes, while she wore her Australian Olympic tracksuit and cap. Abaca Press/INSTARimages
“It is disgraceful that these falsehoods concocted by an anonymous person can be published in this way,” Matt Carroll, the chief executive officer of the AOC, said in a statement. “It amounts to bullying and harassment and is defamatory. We are demanding that it be removed from the site immediately. No athlete who has represented their country at the Olympic Games should be treated in this way… “
“I’m honored to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of Breaking’s Olympic debut. What the other athletes have achieved has just been phenomenal,” Gunn continued in the video. Instagram / @raygun_aus
The Australian Olympic Committee released a statement on Thursday after a petition was launched calling for Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the AOC to “Hold Raygun Rachel Gunn and Anna Mears (sic) accountable for unethical conduct (and) Olympic selection.” Getty Images
Members of Gunn’s family have also spoken out following the controversy, with father-in-law Andrew Free, the dad of Gunn’s husband, Samuel, blasting the judges in their assessment of her Olympics routine.
“It was a pretty stacked competition and the judges were clearly looking for a certain style of breaking which is not Rachael’s,” Free wrote on Facebook, per reports.
“Although they are supposed to mark 5 different aspects with each having the same weighting, in my obviously biased opinion they did not reward originality and musicality so she was up against it.
“The main thing is she represented Australia and breaking at the Olympics with courage and dignity.
Ami Yuasa of Japan took gold in the women’s Olympic breaking competition while Dominika Banevic of Lithuania earned silver and China’s Liu Qingyi secured bronze.
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