Breakdancing, one of the most anticipated new sports at the Paris Olympics, turned into a nightmare for 36-year-old Rachael Gunn. The Australian athlete, known for her infamous ‘kangaroo’ move, found herself at the center of a social media firestorm. What started as a viral sensation quickly spiraled into controversy, with critics questioning her skills and others convinced that her selection for the Australian Olympic team was marred by manipulation.

The backlash was swift and fierce. A Change.org petition amassed over 54,000 signatures, demanding an apology from Gunn and the Australian authorities, claiming foul play in her Olympic selection. The petition, however, was eventually taken down for lack of concrete evidence. But the damage had already been done—the controversy had ignited a wildfire of public outrage that was far from extinguished.

Despite the petition’s removal, the flames of discontent continued to burn. Gunn herself had to step in, attempting to quell the rage with direct intervention. What should have been a moment of triumph for Gunn and her country has instead become a battle for redemption in the unforgiving arena of public opinion.

Raygun breaks her silence

The breakdancer Rachael Gunn aka B-girl Raygun took to her Instagram and added a video message for her fans. She starts off by thanking all the people who supported her, “I really appreciate the positivity,” she says. “I am glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives. That’s what I hoped,” she added, clearing her intentions. But, what she did not expect is that would ‘also open the door to so much hate,‘ which Gunn accepts has been devastating.

But, she asserts about having been sincere throughout. She says, “Well, I went out there and I had fun- I did take it very seriously. I worked my b*tt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all. Truly.” Concerning the allegations on her and the misinformation floating around, Gunn cites the statement of the AOC to be referred to. And for those who wished to see how her scores faired compared to her opponents, the Olympics.com had all the results, across all 5 criteria.

Well, the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) has cleared her of the allegations. Their Chief Executive, Matt Carroll, said that the petition was a result of ‘stirred up public hate’ and lacked any factual basis. On the other hand, it was assured that Gunn’s selection was done through a fair and transparent process. But, it also remains true that Gunn still has been on the receiving end, along with her family. Thus, she requests the press to stop harassing “her family, her friends, the Australian breaking community, and the broader street dance community.” 

However, it seems her the fans are not yet over this upsetting episode. Taking to Reddit, many of them opined on Gunn’s performance and the entire fiasco.

Fans do not seem to be getting over Rachael Gunn’s Olympic performance

Taking to a Reddit thread, one of the fans wrote, “She was a clown and made a mockery of breaking. Zero sympathy for her. You wanted your 15 minutes of fame. Well you got it.” Evidently upset, to them, Gunn’s performance seemed like a disrespect to the sport and an alleged publicity stunt. Apparently, the Aussie break dancer who is coached by her husband, lost all of her round-robin battles. That too, with a significant margin, 18-0 in all three.

While she had even cited that everyone’s style of breaking stands ‘unique,’ the fans seem unimpressed by her performance on the grandest stage. One of them wrote, “This lady went out doing kangaroo hops and squirtle spins. Badly at that. She was 100% not serious and made a mockery of the events.” Well, after years of wait, Breaking finally made its Olympic debut at Paris 2024, after it reached great heights at the 2018 Summer Youth Games. Thus, naturally, fans wanted to witness competitors doing justice to its addition, with brilliant performance.

But, Rachael Gunn’s allegedly loose routine, raised questions on her preparation. Another fan added how they still stand in disbelief of her selection and her skills. The wrote, “She didn’t “choose a bad routine”. She is objectively terrible at the sport and humiliated her country. She was selected due to nepotism or corruption, you cannot convince me otherwise looking at the videos of her “dancing”.”

A professor at the Macquarie University, Sydney, Gunn holds a Ph.D. in Cultural Studies. Also, apparently her thesis from 2017 was focused on breakdancing itself. However, her signature ‘kangaroo hop’ did not settle well with the spectators. One of them brought into notice her background and mentioned, “A PhD in Breakdance and never tried to do anything related to it. I have 0 sympathy for her.” 

However, there have been a few who voiced their support for her too. They thought, the matter escalated beyond proportion. A fan wrote, “This sh*t is getting old. It was a good laugh when it first happened but now it’s just dog piling. She chose a bad routine, but that doesn’t mean there’s some corruption on how she got there.” Maybe she failed to deliver, but that doesn’t necessarily raise questions on her qualification is what they opined.

Another fan backed it up with some facts. As part of a longer comment, they wrote, “Everything was run according to the rules provided by the IOC and WDSF….No allegation made against her has been proven. Everything can be fact-checked within a few minutes.” Do you agree with Rachael Gunn getting all the flak? Let us know below.