Raygun Apologises — Not For Her Routine, But For How People Treated Her Dance Community
Rachael "Raygun" Gunn has broken her silence after her "disastrous" performance at the Paris Olympics on 9 August.
By Yap Wan Xiang — 04 Sep 2024, 06:46 PM
Australian breakdancer Rachael "Raygun" Gunn has apologised — not for her zero-point performance at the Paris Olympics on 9 August, but for the attack her breakdancing community faced
During an exclusive interview with Australian TV news programme The Project today, 4 September, Gunn addressed the criticism regarding her dancing skills when host Waleed Aly asked if it had any merit.
Citing Australian hip-hop pioneer Spice's criticism, Aly said Gunn's poor performance at the recent Olympics has thrown the Australian breakdancing scene back to the dark ages.
Spice had said Gunn "made a mockery of the Australian scene, that's why a lot of us are hurting. In hip-hop, we have this thing: You step up or step off. You need to know your place".
In response, the 36-year-old university lecturer expressed sadness over the criticism and apologised to her breakdancing community for the backlash it received following her Olympic routine.
"It is really sad to hear those criticisms and I am very sorry for the backlash that the community has experienced. But I can't control how people react," she said.
Gunn then argued that the breakdance community needed more resources for Australians to have a chance to become world champions.
"Historically, unfortunately, we haven't had the best track record at winning world championships. So, I don't think it is just on me," she added.
Gunn said she worked very hard for the competition, emphasising that "learning power moves in your mid-30s is not easy".
Earlier, Gunn was asked how she qualified for the Paris Olympics as many Australians were upset that she was chosen to represent the country
"I won the Oceania Championship," she answered sharply.
"As simple as that?" Aly asked, to which Gunn responded by saying that it was a direct qualifier for the Paris Olympics.
In response to rumours that she had connections with the championship judges, Gunn said she did not know any of them, as they were all from other countries.
However, despite qualifying for the Olympics, she knew her chances were slim.
Gunn captured global attention at the Paris Olympics with her bizarre routine, scoring zero points when she incorporated kangaroo hops.
Her performance became a meme worldwide. Many breakdancing communities around the world criticised her for embarrassing the sport.
