Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn, better known as Raygun, had a terrible feeling she’d be humiliated on a global stage prior to participating in the 2024 Olympics. She wasn’t wrong.
Not only did the 38-year-old performer lose to her teenage Lithuanian counterpart during the games held in Paris, where the Olympics breakdancing competition made its debut. She also took last place with a signature move that saw her imitating a kangaroo.
Internet critics and late-night comedy hosts alike made fun of the routine.
When her therapist asked her before the event what was the worst that could happen, Gunn replied: “The whole world could laugh at me!”
Her shrink replied by asking Gunn if she thought that was a realistic concern.
Gunn spoke of her experience in the Netflix documentary “Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly,” according to USA Today. The film begins streaming on Sept. 1.
She describes her condition as “panicked” when she visited her therapist before the start of the games.
Gunn said some of the Internet memes mocking her moves were humorous before widespread analysis of her efforts took on a frenzied life of its own.
“It was this growing monster,” she recalls.
She reportedly refers to herself as “a dorky white woman” with a Ph.D. in the documentary but argues that she’s also into hip-hop culture and did her best to represent Australia proudly.
Gunn admitted in an Instagram video posted after her performance that she’s happy to have entertained viewers. However, she called the hatred sent her way “devastating.”
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