Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn Retires from Competitive Breaking After Olympic Experience

Australian Breaker Rachael “Raygun” Gunn Announces Retirement from Competition

Rachael “Raygun” Gunn, the Australian breaker who captured the world’s attention with her unique and unconventional style during the Paris Olympics, has announced her retirement from competitive breaking. In an interview with a Sydney radio station on Wednesday, the 37-year-old dancer reflected on her journey and the recent challenges she faced.

Gunn became an internet sensation after her performance at the 2024 Games, which garnered both admiration and ridicule. Her routine, which featured a particularly memorable move where she mimicked a kangaroo hopping, sparked a flurry of memes and social media commentary. Unfortunately, she did not secure a victory in any of her three round-robin battles at the Olympics, where breaking made its debut as an official sport.

Initially, Gunn had plans to continue competing, but she has since reassessed her position due to what she described as “upsetting” backlash from audiences and critics alike. She shared her thoughts on 2DayFM’s “The Jimmy & Nath Show,” stating, “I still break, but I don’t compete. I’m not going to compete anymore, no. … I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now to approach a battle.”

Despite stepping back from competition, Gunn continues to dance and practice breaking, albeit in a more private setting. “That’s like in my living room with my partner,” she added, indicating a shift towards enjoying the art form for personal fulfillment rather than public performance.

Following her Olympic experience, Gunn has opened up about the intense scrutiny she faced regarding her qualification. In the wake of her performance, various conspiracy theories surfaced online, including a Change.org petition that accused her of manipulating the qualification process. The Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) swiftly condemned the petition, with AOC chief executive Matt Carroll labeling it as “disgraceful” and a source of misinformation.

Gunn qualified for the Olympics by winning the QMS Oceania Championships in Sydney, a prestigious automatic qualifying event that featured 15 breakers. She acknowledged the challenges she faced, noting, “I knew the odds were against me when competing in the Olympics.”

“The conspiracy theories were totally wild,” Gunn remarked. “And it was really upsetting because I felt like I didn’t have any control over how people saw me or who I was, who my partner was, my story. And so it was really upsetting for a number of different reasons.”

Looking ahead, breaking is not set to appear in the Olympic program for the upcoming 2028 Games in Los Angeles or the 2032 Games in Brisbane, Australia. As for Gunn’s future endeavors, it seems her performance in Paris will mark the end of her competitive dance career. She currently holds a position as a university lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney and is involved in various projects aimed at promoting positivity and creativity.

“It’s all kind of the same sort of vibe of trying to bring more positivity, trying to encourage people to dance, to have fun and to be creative and to be themselves, to be their authentic selves, whatever that might look like,” she stated, reflecting her commitment to fostering a supportive community.

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