Raygun returns: Rachael Gunn lands in Sydney after life-changing Paris Olympics debut

Max Corstorphan
The Nightly
The controversial dancer has touched down on home soil, weeks after her infamous performance.

Aussie breakdancer and viral sensation Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn has landed on Australian soil for the first time since her controversial Olympic debut.

Gunn’s performance in Paris went viral after including moves like “the kangaroo” scored an embarrassing zero points and led to her elimination.

Landing in Sydney on Monday morning, Gunn was all smiles when she was met by a waiting pack of photographers.

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Wearing baggy denim jeans, a sea moss-coloured top and a black jumper wrapped around her torso, Gunn stepped out of Sydney Internation Airport alongside her husband and coach Samuel Free.

Australian Olympian, b-girl Rachael “Raygun” Gunn touched down in Sydney on Monday morning.
Australian Olympian, b-girl Rachael “Raygun” Gunn touched down in Sydney on Monday morning. Credit: MEDIA-MODE/MEDIA-MODE.COM

Although Gunn may have just been happy to be home, the World DanceSport Federation on Monday gave the Aussie a huge reason to smile.

The federation updated its official ranking for September, with Raygun now appearing as No.1 in the official WDSF world rankings for professional breakers.

The news will be welcomed not only by Gunn but also by her new management team at Born Bred Talent who will be preparing to secure the viral sensation lucrative big brand deals.

Rachael “Raygun” Gunn had her team Australia Olympic bag with her on arrival.
Rachael “Raygun” Gunn had her team Australia Olympic bag with her on arrival. Credit: MEDIA-MODE/MEDIA-MODE.COM

Gunn opted not to return home on the Australian Olympic athlete Qantas charter, instead staying on in Europe for a holiday, a move that appears to have paid off for her global image.

During her extended stay, Gunn was seen enjoying dinner with singer Boy George and was spotted dancing with billionaire Virgin tycoon Sir Richard Branson.

Raygun and her husband were spotted having a casual dinner with world-famous popstar Boy George.
Raygun and her husband were spotted having a casual dinner with world-famous popstar Boy George. Credit: Instagram

In a video posted on social media, Gunn was seen teaching the Virgin Group founder some new moves in a bizarre dance collaboration while they sailed on a Virgin Voyages Celebration Voyage in the Mediterranean.

Gunn returns less than a week after the controversial Olympic athlete broke her silence with her first interview.

“It’s been a pretty wild ride, I’m not going to lie,” she said in an interview on The Project.

“I definitely have my ups and downs, my good and bad days, but it has been, honestly, so amazing to see the positive response to my performance.

“I never thought that I would be able to connect with so many people in such a positive way. So, that has been just so amazing.

“But, yeah, it definitely has been tough at times.

“Fortunately, I got some mental health support pretty quickly and I also went off social media, I went off the internet.”

She said she was in a “state of panic” after journalists started chasing her down the street.

“I was quite nervous being out in public ‘cause I just didn’t know what was safe, if anyone was going to recognise me, if, you know, how they were going to respond to seeing me.”

Singing megastar Adele stopped her performance in Germany to say the Australian was her “favourite thing” about the Olympics.

“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 sh*tting ourselves laughing for nearly 24 hours,” Adele said.

However, it wasn’t all positive.

Criticism reached a fever pitch when a Change.org petition to ‘Hold Raygun Racheal Gunn & Anna Meares accountable for unethical conduct Olympic selection’ secured over 45,000 signatures.

The petition was taken down after being active for almost four days when Change.org decided it violated community guidelines.

In a statement provided to The Nightly, Change.org said: ”The petition was flagged for misinformation and was reviewed according to our Community Guidelines. It has since been removed from the platform.”

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