Raygun Australian breakdancer retires after ‘upsetting’ Paris Olympics backlash | More sports News – Times of India

Raygun of Australia in action in Breaking at Paris Olympics. (Reuters)

Rachael “Raygun” Gunn, the Australian breakdancer who faced online criticism after her performance at the Paris Olympics, has announced her retirement from competition.
Gunn, 37, made the announcement on Wednesday during an interview with Australian radio station 2DayFM. “I’m not going to compete any more,” she stated. “I was going to keep competing for sure, but that seems like a really difficult thing for me to do now.”
Her decision comes after her Olympic routine, which featured unique moves such as kangaroo hops and imitating a sprinkler, drew significant attention and mockery on social media. Her moves were copied on late-night talk shows and her unfashionable green tracksuit was mercilessly parodied online.
Conspiracy theories abounded to explain how the university lecturer had even made it on to the Australia Olympic team.
Gunn expressed that the scrutiny she faced was “really upsetting” and would make future competitions challenging. “The level of scrutiny that’s going to be there. People will be filming it, it will be going online, it’s just not going to be the same experience,” she explained.
Despite the backlash, Gunn maintains that she took her Olympic preparation seriously and enjoyed her performance. “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,” she shared in a previous video message.
Gunn plans to continue dancing recreationally. “I mean I still dance, and I still break. But, you know, that’s like in my living room with my partner,” she clarified.
She encourages others to find joy in dance, saying, “Dancing is so much fun, and it makes you feel good. I don’t think people should feel crap about the way that they dance. If you get out there, and you have fun on the dance floor then just own it.”
Gunn briefly held the top spot in the World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) women’s breakdancing rankings after winning the Oceania Championship.
Breakdancing made its Olympic debut in Paris but will not be included in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.