Australia’s Raygun ‘sorry’ about Olympic backlash

Australia’s “Raygun” has apologised 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 to be broadcast on Wednesday. 

In a snippet of the exchange, Gunn was asked if she was the best woman breakdancer in Australia. 

“I think my record speaks to that,” the 37-year-old Sydney university lecturer said.

Gunn lost all three of her match-ups against rival dancers and her performance was parodied worldwide, including by late-night US television host Jimmy Fallon.

Commentators have questioned how she qualified for the Games, with some of her more fierce critics back home calling her a national embarrassment. 

An online petition — which has since been removed — even demanded she issue a public apology.

Gunn said in the interview she had not expected to do well at the Olympics, but that her record showed she was the best breaker in Australia.

“As soon as I qualified, I was like, oh my gosh, what have I done? Because I knew that I was going to get beaten, and I knew that people were not going to understand my style and what I was going to do,” she said.

But she was not ready for the viral attention her performance would receive.

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 added it was “wild” when 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 an August video message.

While many ridiculed her performance on social media, Gunn’s moves won support from others, including her fellow Australian Olympians and Australia’s prime minister.