Australia's Raygun retires from breaking after Olympics 2024 performance backlash

Rachael Gunn, also known as B-girl Raygun, has announced her retirement from competitive breaking following a viral backlash over her Paris Olympics performance. The scrutiny and criticism have led her to reconsider her future in the sport.

In Short

• Gunn's unorthodox performance was heavily criticised in Paris
• Originally, Gunn had planned to continue competing but ultimately found the experience “upsetting”
• Breaking won't be part of LA Olympics 2028

Australian breaker Rachael Gunn, known as B-girl Raygun, has announced her retirement from competition, citing the overwhelming viral response to her Paris Olympics performance. Gunn, a 37-year-old university lecturer, made headlines after she failed to score in all three competition rounds in August, performing an unconventional routine with moves like the sprinkler and kangaroo hop.

Her unorthodox style brought her both global attention and widespread ridicule, even fuelling conspiracy theories about her path to Olympic qualification and sparking renewed criticism of breaking’s place in the Olympics. Originally, Gunn had planned to continue competing but ultimately found the experience “upsetting” enough to reconsider.

Speaking to a local radio station, Gunn said that she didn't have any control over how people saw her and the level of scrutiny that's going to be there has made her rethink about continuing breaking.

"I just didn’t have any control over how people saw me or who I was," she told local radio station 2DayFM on Wednesday, as quoted by BBC.

"I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now.

“I think the level of scrutiny that’s going to be there, and people will be filming it, and it will go online."

Gunn, who has said the criticism drained her enjoyment of the sport, reiterated on Wednesday that the controversy left her disillusioned. The 37-year-old said that people shouldn't be made to feel bad about the way they dance.

Gunn said that she does continue to dance but it's confined to her living room with her partner.

"Dancing is so much fun, and it makes you feel good. I don’t think people should feel crap about the way that they dance."

"I still dance, and I still break. But, you know, that’s like in my living room with my partner!"

The backlash surrounding Gunn’s performance has also reignited debate over breaking's Olympic suitability. Breaking, which debuted in Paris, won’t feature in the 2028 Los Angeles Games, and many question whether the free-form nature of the genre aligns with organised competition.