Olympic star Raygun has opened up about the mental turmoil he has suffered since going viral for his breakdancing performances in Paris.
The 37-year-old rose to fame after her iconic routine during last summer’s Games, when she scored a total of 0.0 points.
Raygun, whose real name is Rachael Gunn, became the first Australian breakdancing competitor at the Olympic Games. But the university professor was subjected to brutal trolling for her infamous performance, in which she jumped like a kangaroo.
Gunn revealed the “toll” his Olympic experience has taken on him in recent months, admitting his anxiety has been “really bad.”
“People have really tried to shame me,” he said. But Raygun promised not to let his haters win.
Olympic star Raygun has opened up about the mental turmoil he has endured since going viral
The Australian Olympics star appeared on the cover of Stellar magazine this week.
“It’s been very difficult to process.” she told stellar. ‘My whole world has changed. My identity has changed. My relationships have changed, for better or worse.
Unfortunately, it’s times like these you find out who your real friends are. And because things are still changing, it’s simply impossible to understand. It’s hard to predict what it will be like when you leave home.
She added: “I think the haters want me to be locked in a room, ashamed and silent.”
“Every time I leave the house, go out to dinner, go shopping or do a fashion shoot and I look up again, he says, ‘No, you didn’t knock me down. You were not successful. “I’m still standing for what I did. It’s okay to be different. It’s okay to be yourself. You don’t have the power you think you have.”
Gunn revealed why he focused on reading and “spring cleaning” before speaking. He also described how the reaction to his performance has impacted his mental health.
“There was so much hate and emotion that I had to wait for everyone to calm down a little bit,” Gunn told Stellar.
The Australian dancer received a lot of criticism for her performance at the Paris Olympics.
“This is a process I’m working on, trying to resist that shame,” Raygun admitted.
‘This is a process I’m working on, trying to resist that shame. I’m working on mental health issues: seeing my psychologist, exercising when I don’t feel like it, doing breathing exercises.
‘(Mental health) is now something I have to take care of: it’s exhausted. “It has definitely taken its toll.”
He added: “It’s still a process because I have to (prioritize) my own health.” “I talk to my family when I can, but it’s hard for me to know the toll it has taken on them because I think it will take its toll on me.”
The Australian doesn’t believe the reaction would have been as fierce if it were a man. “They would have quickly given me the title (maverick) and people would have supported me much more,” he insisted.
But despite all the ridicule, the 37-year-old said she remains positive by maintaining a collection of funny photos and clips.
“All my friends sent them to me and I loved it,” he added. ‘I loved it when people laughed with me because, yeah, I was doing some weird things. I know that.’