After making news around the world during the Olympics, Rachael “Raygun” Gunn is set for her first sit down interview in a world exclusive with Channel 10’s The Project on Wednesday night.
In the first — and potentially only — appearance of Breaking at an Olympic Games, Raygun’s performance stole the show as she failed to score in any of her three battles.
Debate raged around the world about her performance, which saw her panned across social media, as well as by celebrities including Adele and Jimmy Fallon.
Even DJ Fatboy Slim stated “we would have given you 10 out of 10, Rachael” alongside a hilarious video comparing her moves to those seen in his film clip for mega hit Praise You.
Gunn’s routine included moves which mimicked a snake and a kangaroo, and she even did the sprinkler.
Her fashion was criticised as the other competitors came out in street clothes, while Gunn wore her Australian Olympic tracksuit and cap.
While she had some people come to her defense like Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, who said: “Good on her and a big shout out to her. That is in the Australian tradition of people having a go. She’s had a go representing our country and that’s a good thing.
“The Olympics is about people participating in sport. That’s a good thing and Raygun had a crack.
“Whether (athletes have) won gold medals or just done their best, that is all we ask for. It’s the participating that is really important.”
However, there was a wave of criticism and unfounded accusations cast at the 36-year-old Macquarie University academic, who researches the cultural politics of breaking.
It included questions about her qualification for the Olympics where she won the Oceania Championships in October 2023, about funding — the AOC confirmed athletes “received no Federal Government Funding” — and a petition that earned 50,000 signatures before it was taken down.
Gunn took to social media herself to thank her supporters and take aim at her haters.
“I really appreciate the positivity and I was glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives — that’s what I hoped,” Gunn said in mid-August.
“I didn’t realize that that would also open the door to so much hate which has frankly been pretty devastating.
“While I went out there and had fun, I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly.
“I’m honored to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of Breaking’s Olympic debut. What the other athletes have achieved has just been phenomenal.”
Gunn also pointed out that there aren’t points in Breaking, rather the nine judges compared the competitors over five different criteria which are added together for an overall score across the two rounds in the prelims, three rounds when it got to the finals.
Gunn also didn’t return with the other Olympians after the Paris Games, instead taking “some pre-planned down time”.
She also signed with a talent agency and reportedly caught the attention of I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out Of Here! producers.
