Olympics breaker Rachael Gunn no longer plans to break competitively after the abuse and ridicule she received over her performances at the Paris Games; "I just didn't have any control over how people saw me or who I was"
Thursday 7 November 2024 06:39, UK
Australian Olympic breaker Rachael Gunn, known as Raygun, has said she will no longer compete competitively after the backlash she received during the Paris Games.
The 37-year-old university lecturer faced online ridicule over her performance after failing to score a point in her three rounds in the summer with a routine that included unique spins and her signature kangaroo hop.
But having already expressed her disappointment in wake of the Games about the "pretty devastating" level of abuse she subsequently received, Gunn has now confirmed that while she was still breaking she will no longer compete.
"I'm not going to compete any more, no," she told Sydney radio station 2DayFM.
"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.
"It's been really upsetting. I just didn't have any control over how people saw me or who I was."
Gunn added: "I think the level of scrutiny that's going to be there, and people will be filming it, and it will go online."
While breaking garnered plenty of interest at Paris 2024 as the dance sport made its Olympic debut, it is neither on the competition programme for Los Angeles in 2028 nor is expected to appear in 2032 at the Games in Brisbane.
