After facing criticism for her routine at the Paris Olympics, Rachael Gunn, the Australian breakdancer known as Raygun, has decided to step away from competitive dancing.
She told "The Jimmy and Nath Show," "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. Yeah, I mean I still dance, and I still break. But, you know, that's like in my living room with my partner."
Gunn also spoke of the high level of scrutiny expected, with people recording and sharing online, will undoubtedly shape different perceptions.
"It's just not going to mean the same thing, and it's not going to be the same experience because of everything that's at stake."
Gunn first captured attention for her participation in the women's breaking event during the 2024 Paris Olympics in August.
Despite not scoring a single point, the Australian breakdancer's performance stirred up a flurry of memes and garnered mixed feedback from audiences.
Gunn's unorthodox moves raised eyebrows while competing against Logan Edra from the US, Dominika Banevič from Lithuania, and Sya Dembélé from France.
"It was really upsetting because I felt like I just didn't have any control over how people saw me or who I was," Gunn added.
In August, Gunn addressed the criticism in a video message that she shared on her Instagram account.
"When I went out there I had fun. I did take it very seriously."
She added, "I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics. I gave my all, truly. I am honored to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and been a part of breaking's Olympic debut."
The 2028 Los Angeles Olympics will not feature breaking as part of the event lineup.
for those who you haven’t seen it, here’s 2 minutes of the one and only Raygun breakdancing 💀 pic.twitter.com/bxQn9jTw0K
— ً (@tylerduran21) August 31, 2024
