Australian Olympian Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has apologised to the breakdancing community over the visceral backlash the sport has come under after her Paris 2024 performance.
Raygun went viral for her Olympic performance with the internet and news organisations reacting to her debut, and that of the sport at the Games.
The 36-year-old managed to score zero points in all of her round-robin battles, after pulling out some obscure dance moves, such as the “Kangaroo”.
Questions were raised surrounding her selection for the Australian Olympic squad, with an online petition collecting close to 50,000 signatures.
Australia’s Olympic Committee slammed the public backlash and denounced it as bullying of an athlete.
A month on from the fallout, Gunn has given her first public interview.
In a pre-recorded clip for Australian talk show The Project, she said she was “sad to hear criticism” and is “very sorry for the backlash that the community has experienced”.
“But I can’t control how people react,” Gunn added.
When asked by the show’s host if she believed she was the best breakdancer in Australia, Gunn said: “I think my record speaks to that.”
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