Olympic breakdancer Rachel ‘Raygun’ Gunn speaks out about online hate amid backlash

Olympic breakdancer Rachel ‘Raygun’ Gunn is speaking out this week about the online hate she’s received amid backlash to her performance and qualification for the Paris Games earlier this month. She says that the hate has been “pretty devastating” while also thanking her supporters as “absolute legends.”

“Hi everyone, Raygun here. I just want to start by thanking all the people who have supported me, I really appreciate the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives, that’s what I hoped,” she started in a post on Instagram.

“I didn’t realize that that would also open the door to so much hate, which ​has frankly​ ​been pretty devastating.​ While 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, truly. I’m honored 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.”

Gunn has also called for the media and others to stop any and all harassment towards herself and her family as she embarks on “pre-planned downtime” in Europe.

Rachel Gunn’s dancing takes the headlines

Along with being a breakdancer, Raygun is an academic who works at Macquarie University. In June of last year, Raygun published an article for Global Hip Hop Studies titled, “The Australian breaking scene and the Olympic Games: The possibilities and politics of sportification.”

Before getting into breaking, Raygun had experience with ballroom dancing, jazz, hip-hop, salsa, and tap. She married fellow breakdancer Samuel Free in 2008.

Gunn did not make it past the first round of the Olympics. During a press conference on Saturday, Raygun said “all of my moves are original” and her biggest strength is “creativity.” 

She told The Guardian: “I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get that in a lifetime to do that on an international stage. I was always the underdog and wanted to make my mark in a different way.”

Change.org petition regarding Raygun under scrutiny

A petition on Change.org was recently published for Raygun to be “held accountable for her actions,” after some raised concerns that she had circumvented the qualifying process for the Summer Games. However, after gaining more than 55,000 signatures, the petition is under scrutiny as it contains false information regarding Gunn and her husband, Samuel Free. The petition suggests that Free and Gunn are the founders of the Australian Breaking Association, though that is not the case.

“Rachel Gunn, who set up her own governing body for breakdancing, has manipulated the selection process to her own advantage,” the petition states. “Despite the clear talent and qualification of other outstanding female breakdancers like G Clef and Holy Molly, they were unfairly overlooked. The NT Youlong Boys, a group of incredibly talented and underprivileged youth from the Northern Territory, were denied crucial funding by Dr. Gunn to attend the qualifiers—a decision that directly impacted their chance to showcase their skills on a national stage.”

“Disturbingly, Dr. Gunn went on to win her own qualifier, defeating other phenomenal breakdancers, raising serious questions about the fairness and integrity of the process. If Dr. Gunn’s husband is indeed the Australian coach and part of the selection panel, this represents a blatant conflict of interest that cannot go unchecked.”

This week, Gunn explained how she qualified, telling the Sydney Morning Herald, “I won the Oceania qualifier, and by winning that competition, I got the direct spot to Paris. That was a really intense, really stressful but really amazing competition.”

Gunn also advised critics to refer to the recent statement made by the AOC, as well as posts on the WDSF Breaking for Gold page for clarification.