Raygun: Olympic Games breaking star Rachael Gunn announces retirement from breaking after intense scrutiny
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Published 07/11/2024 at 22:53 GMT
Rachael Gunn will no longer compete in the sport of breaking after announcing her retirement on a Sydney radio station. The 37-year-old, nicknamed Raygun, garnered huge public attention after her routine at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games went viral. The university professor had previously asked for her family and friends to be left alone, calling the hate that she received online "devastating".
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Video credit: SNTV
Viral breaking star Rachael Gunn, also known as Raygun, has announced her retirement from the sport due to the “upsetting” reaction to her Olympic routine.
Gunn hit the headlines in August for her unusual and unique dance moves at the Paris 2024 Games, where she exited at the group stage without winning a single round.
The professor at Macquarie University wrote her PhD thesis on the sport, but has decided to end her competitive participation after the intense public “scrutiny”.
Gunn told a Sydney radio station that she felt she lost control over her image and the fear of re-entering the limelight in the age of social media was too much to handle.
“It’s been really upsetting,” Gunn told 2DayFM. “I just didn’t have any control over how people saw me or who I was.
“I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now.
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“I think the level of scrutiny that’s going to be there, and people will be filming it, and it will go online.”
Breaking made its first appearance at the Olympics in the summer, but has been dropped from the Los Angeles 2028 line-up.
“Dancing is so much fun and it makes you feel good and I don't think people should feel c*** about, you know, the way that they dance,” added Gunn.
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“I still break but that’s like, in my living room with my partner,” she said. “It's just not going to mean the same thing. It's not going to be the same experience because of everything that's at stake.“
Previously, Gunn had opened up about the devastating “hate” she received after her infamous performance and the harassment of her friends and family by the media.
“I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That’s what I hoped. I didn’t realise that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating,” Gunn said in a video posted to social media.
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“But 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’d really like to ask the press to please stop harassing my family, my friends, the Australian breaking community and the broader street dance community.
“Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this, so I ask you to please respect their privacy.”
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