The 36-year-old university lecturer said she has been left heartbroken by the ‘pretty devastating’ online hate she has received since her breakdancing routine in Paris, in which she was widely mocked for mimicking a kangaroo and snake.
She has kept a low profile since the closing ceremony, remaining under the radar by going on holiday with her husband and coach Samuel Free instead of returning home to Australia with her fellow Olympians.
But on Thursday, Raygun, whose real name is Rachael Gunn, resurfaced to make a statement about her performance, the resulting reaction and the ‘misinformation’ that has circulated about her selection on the Australian team.
‘Hi everyone, Raygun here,’ she said in a video posted on Instagram. ‘I just wanna start by thanking all the people who have supported me.
‘I really appreciate the positivity and I am glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives, that is what I had hoped.
‘I didn’t realise that that would also open the door to so much hate which has frankly been pretty devastating.
‘While I went out there and had fun, I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave it my all. Truly.
‘I’m honoured 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.’
Raygun then turned her attention to the conspiracy theories that have erupted online regarding her performance, with some suggesting that she entered as part of a ‘social experiment’.
Almost 50,000 people have also signed a change.org petition calling for ‘immediate accountability and transparency in the recent actions’ of Gunn and Paris chef de mission Anna Meares over how Gunn won selection to represent Australia in Paris.
The call to action accuses the 36-year-old of ‘manipulating the selection process to her own advantage’ so she could be chosen above more talented Aussie female breakers – an allegation described as ‘raising serious questions about the fairness and integrity of the process’.
No evidence has been provided to back up the petition’s claims.
AOC boss Matt Carroll said the petition, which demands a public apology from Gunn and Meares, is ‘appalling’ and has ‘no factual basis’.
‘In regards to the allegations and misinformation floating around, 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
AOC boss Matt Carroll said the petition, which demands a public apology from Gunn and Meares, is ‘appalling’ and has ‘no factual basis’.
‘In regards to the allegations and misinformation floating around, 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,’ Raygun said.
She also attempted to debunk claims she scored zero points across her three battles, saying: ‘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 all five criteria on Olympics.com, all the results are there.’
At the time of publication, Raygun still has zero points on the official Olympics website while her American opponent, Logistx, has two.
‘I’m going to be in Europe for a few weeks, for some pre-planned downtime but I would really like to ask the press to please stop harassing my family, my friends, the Australian breaking community and the broader street dance community. Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this, so I ask you to still respect their privacy.
‘I will be happy to answer more questions on my return to Australia.’
Raygun has received support from high-profile figures like Anthony Albanese and Jess Fox in response to the storm that erupted from her performance in Paris, with her backers praising her for giving it her best shot.
‘Raygun had a crack, good on her, and a big shout out to her,’ he told reporters in Adelaide on Sunday.
‘That is in the Australian tradition of people having a go. She’s had a go representing our country, and that’s a good thing.
‘Whether they’ve won gold medals or just done their best, that’s all we asked for. It’s the participating that is really important.’
‘I am one of her, we’re all teammates,’ she said. ‘You have to really put yourself in her shoes.
‘Regardless of the circumstances , bullying is not OK, you just don’t want that for anyone. I really hope she is OK, it’s crazy how much this has stirred everyone up. I really cant believe it.’
But swathes of people have been left in stitches by Raygun’s breakdancing, with music superstar Adele stopping her concert in Munich to discuss the Australian’s antics.
‘Did anyone see the breakdancing lady?’ she asked.
‘Now I didn’t even know breakdancing was an Olympic sport these days. That is f***ing fantastic. I really really do.
‘Aaron my percussionist is p***ing himself laughing just thinking about it.
‘I can’t work out if it was a joke but either way it has made me very very happy and me and my friends have been s***ing ourselves laughing for nearly 24 hours.
