Australian Olympic breakdancer Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn breaks silence and addresses ‘haters’
Australian breakdancer Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn has broken her silence since her losing performance at the Olympics, revealing the hate towards her has been “pretty devastating”.
In a video posted to her Instagram, Raygun addressed the reaction and allegations of “unethical conduct” following her unique moves that were panned worldwide.
“I 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 said in her post.
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By continuing you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy.“I didn’t realise that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating.”
Despite haters claiming Raygun did not take her Olympic debut seriously, she went on to say she gave it her all.
“I went out there and I had fun, I did take it very seriously,” she said.
“I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all truly.
“I am honoured to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of Breaking’s Olympic debut.”
In response to viewers claiming she did not earn a single point in her three battles in the Olympics debut of breaking, Raygun suggested people could search for her scores on the official Olympics website.
Raygun will be in Europe for a holiday for the next few weeks and said she would be happy to answer more questions on her return to Australia.
She urged everyone to respect the privacy of her family, friends, and the Australian breaking and dance community.
The video has already garnered thousands of comments with many still left disgraced by her dance moves.
“Worst appearance at the Olympics” and “I don’t really see the effort you claimed to put in. There was not a skill there that required more than 2 weeks to master” were among the comments left on Raygun’s video.
However, many posters have come out in support and called her an “icon”.
“Raygun you got a fan in me. Anyone can see the pride you have for this sport,” one person wrote.
Her video comes after the Australian Olympic Committee released an explosive statement slamming the “disgraceful” bullying of Raygun.
A petition posted on change.org called for Raygun and Olympics chef de mission Anna Meares to be held accountable for “unethical conduct”.
It suggested Raygun “set up her own governing body for breakdancing” and “manipulated the selection process to her own advantage”.
But the majority of the theories mentioned were, in fact, false.
AOC CEO Matt Carroll has written to change.org demanding the “appalling” petition be immediately withdrawn, calling it “vexatious, misleading and bullying”.
Originally published on The West Australian
