Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has apologized for her controversial breakdance performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Raygun entertained the crowd with her moves — including a kangaroo hop — which were perceived more as a mockery of the Hip-Hop element, verses a routine that included traditional moves. The Australian athlete didn’t score a single point during the inaugural competition.
On Wednesday (Sept. 4), Raygun spoke with the Australian current affairs show The Project, where she said, “I am very sorry for the backlash that the community has experienced, but I can’t control how people react. Unfortunately, we just need some more resources in Australia for us to have a chance to be world champions.”
She continued, “In the last year, I have trained my hardest … I have really put my body through it, put my mind through it. But if that’s not good enough for someone, what can I say? It was really sad how much hate that it did evoke. And a lot of the responses is also just due to people not being very familiar with breaking and the diversity of approaches in breaking.”
Raygun made sure to assert that she believes she’s the “best b-girl in her country” adding, “I think my record speaks to that. I was the top ranked Australian B girl in 2020 and 2022, and 2023… so the record is there. But anything can happen in a battle.”
The historic style of Hip-Hop dance was included in the Olympics for first time this year, and possibly won’t return due to all of the controversy that surrounded it. Raygun was seen belly flopping, hopping around and rolling around on the floor, leaving many with much to say.
See her routine below.
“I did not like that. It’s so many great breakdancers that I don’t know why they had this particular person doing that,” Dr. Dre reacted. “It was funny, I got some laughs out of it, but what the f**k? There are incredible breakdancers out right now; I don’t know how that happened.”
Legendary B-boy, Crazy Legs of The Rock Steady Crew, also shared his opinion on the viral routine.
“My personal opinion is that she should’ve never been on that stage,” he explained in a clip. “Do I think she deserves the amount of criticism that she’s getting? Nah,” he detailed, adding “Homegirl’s been dragged globally, dragged hardcore. People should ease up because the focus at this point should be all the good that came out of it.”
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