Australia’s “Raygun” has apologized for the backlash that her widely ridiculed Paris Olympics performance brought to the broader breakdancing community.
Rachael “Raygun” Gunn, whose routine featured a move that mimicked a kangaroo hopping, made the comments in an interview with Australia’s Channel 10 which was broadcast yesterday.
Gunn was asked if she was the best female breakdancer in Australia.
Photo: EPA-EFE
“I think my record speaks to that,” the 37-year-old Sydney university lecturer said.
Gunn lost all three of her matchups against rival dancers and her performance was parodied worldwide.
Commentators have questioned how she qualified for the Games, with some of her more fierce critics back in Australia calling her a national embarrassment. An online petition even demanded she issue a public apology.
In the interview, Gunn said it was “really sad” to hear the negative reaction to her performance.
“And I am very sorry for the backlash that the community has experienced, but I can’t control how people react,” she said.
She added it was “wild” when the media chased her in Paris following her display.
“But that really did put me in a state of panic,” she said.
Gunn had previously spoken out against the “pretty devastating” hatred unleashed after the Olympics.
“I went out there and I had fun. I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all,” she said in a video message last month.
While many ridiculed her performance on social media, Gunn’s moves won support from others, including her fellow Australian Olympians and Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese.
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