Australian Breakdancer Raygun Calls Social Media Hate Over Olympics Performance 'Very Devastating'

Viral breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has spoken out following her performance at the 2024 Summer Olympics, which received significant backlash at the inaugural breakdancing competition earlier in August.

Raygun took to Instagram on Thursday (August 15) to defend how seriously she was taking her Olympic break run and called the hate “pretty devastating”.

“I didn't realize this would open the door to so much hate,” he began. “Which is honestly quite devastating. While I went out there and had fun, I took it very seriously. I worked on my preparation for the Olympics and gave it my all, really.”

Raygun continued: “It's an honor to be part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of his Olympic breaking debut.

However, fans weren't interested in her explanation, and Gunn's comments section was filled with backlash. “There needs to be an investigation into how you got to the Olympics,” wrote one person.

Regarding the “claims” and alleged “misinformation” being circulated, Raygun urged fans to read the Australian team's official statement.

“We condemn Raygun's worldwide online harassment and bullying,” they wrote in her defense. “The pressure to perform on the Olympic stage is huge, especially against the opponents of her particular group. We stand in solidarity with Raygun.”

The World Dance Federation came to Gunn's defense and offered her the support of an officer regarding her mental health.

“We offered [the] support of our guard officer,” said a statement from the organization's general secretary. “We know what's happened, especially on social media, and absolutely we have to put athlete safety, in this case, mental safety first. It has us as a federation to support it”.

Adele threw her support behind Raygun and admitted the break from the routine made her “very, very happy”.

“I can't tell if it was a joke, but in any case it has made me very, very happy. And me and my friends laugh for almost 24 hours. But I just wanted to know if you've seen it,” he said on a recent show.

Dr. Dre, however, seemingly blasted Raygun without letting her down. “I didn't like that. There are so many great breakdancers, I don't know why they put this particular person to do that,” he told the Entertainment Tonight. “It was funny, I got a few laughs, but what the f—? There are incredible breakdancers out there right now — I don't know how that happened.”

Watch Raygun's response video below.