Australian Olympian Rachel Gunn to retire from competition due to backlash

Rachel Gunn from Australia, known as B-Girl Raygun. File | Photo credit: AP

Australian breaker Rachel Gunn told a Sydney radio station she plans to retire from competition just three months after her unconventional performance at Olympic Games in Paris led to her being ridiculed and spawning conspiracy theories about how she qualified for the Games.

The now 37-year-old Sydney University lecturer failed to make the scoreboard in all three of her competitions in August, performing a routine that included unorthodox moves such as the kangaroo jump.

Gunn originally planned to continue competing, but said the experience left her so “upset” that she changed her mind.

“I just didn’t have any control over how people saw me or who I was,” she told the radio station. 2DayFM. “Of course, I was going to continue to compete, but now it seems to me that it is very difficult. “I think the level of scrutiny will be there and people will film it and it will be posted online.”

Breaking was held for the first time at the Olympic Games. And it could be a one-time event not included in the Olympic program for Los Angeles in 2028 or Brisbane, Australia in 2032.

“Reagan”, as she was called, was later ridiculed on social media, with some reports also questioning the Olympic qualification process.

In September, in a TV interview with The Project on Australia’s Channel 10, she spoke about being followed by cameras through the streets of Paris and how she dealt with the very widespread public reaction to her performance.

“It was really wild,” she said. “If people are following me, what should I do? This really made me panic. I was nervous going out in public. It was quite nerve-wracking for a while.”

She apologized for the upset but again defended her performance and said she was grateful for the support from others in the sport.

She had previously defended how she managed to get to Paris and confirmed it on a TV programme.

“I won the Oceania championship. It was a direct qualification,” Gunn said. “There were nine judges, all from abroad. I realized my chances were slim as soon as I qualified for the Olympics.

“People didn’t understand breaking and were just unhappy with my performance,” she added. “The conspiracy theories were just terrible and it was very frustrating. “Now people are attacking our reputation and our integrity – neither of which were based on facts.”

Gunn’s performance was ridiculed online and on television, including in a sketch on Jimmy Fallon’s late-night TV show.

In a radio interview in Sydney on Wednesday (6Nov24), Gunn said she would not stop breaking completely.

“I’m still dancing and I’m still breaking down,” she said. “But it’s like being in my living room with my partner.”