Australia’s Rachael Gunn, generally known as B-Lady Raygun, competes in the course of the Spherical Robin Battle on the breaking competitors at La Concorde City Park on the 2024 Summer time Olympics on Aug. 9, in Paris. Her efficiency drew laughs and criticism and now Gunn is responding.
Frank Franklin/AP
disguise caption
toggle caption
Frank Franklin/AP
Raygun, the Australian breakdancer who obtained ongoing backlash for her efficiency within the Paris Olympics, mentioned she is retiring from competing.
Raygun, whose actual identify is Rachael Gunn, mentioned on Australian radio earlier this week that she doesn’t need to endure the criticism that may include future performances presumably being recorded and posted on-line.
“It’s simply not gonna imply the identical factor,” she mentioned. “It’s not going to be the identical expertise due to every thing that’s at stake.”
Breaking debuted as an Olympic sport over the summer season. Throughout the competitors in Paris, Gunn failed to attain any factors, shedding 18-0 in every of her three round-robin battles.
Reactions to Gunn’s efficiency ranged from declarations of her strikes being eccentric, to questions on her place within the sport as a white lady in academia, given the dance type’s roots within the early New York hip-hop scene. Her routine was made into memes and spoofed on late night time tv.
“It’s surreal and it’s nonetheless inconceivable to course of,” she mentioned.
Talking on Australia’s 2DayFM The Jimmy and Nath Present, Gunn quashed the prospect of a future Olympic efficiency. “Say in 4 years time, would you do the Olympics once more,” requested present co-host Nathan Roye. Gunn shortly mentioned no.
She added, “It was actually upsetting as a result of I felt like I simply didn’t have any management over how folks noticed me — or who I used to be, who my companion was, my story.”
Although breaking will not be part of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, Gunn mentioned previous to the backlash, she did plan on persevering with to compete after the Paris Olympics had been over.
“That appears a extremely troublesome factor for me to do now, to strategy a battle,” she mentioned. “I imply, I nonetheless dance and I nonetheless break, however that’s, like, in my lounge with my companion.”
Gunn mentioned she has relied on memes and constructive messages from followers to steadiness out the negativity.
Regardless of not medaling in Paris, Gunn has represented Australia within the World Championships thrice and received the Oceania Breaking Championships final 12 months.
She mentioned she is engaged on different tasks that “encourage folks to bounce and have enjoyable and be artistic and be themselves.”
