- READ: Raygun breaks silence to send heartbreaking message
- Australian breakdancer went viral at the Olympics
- She has since spoken out about her performance and the resulting online hate.
Raygun has issued a deeply personal message to the world after her disastrous performance at the Olympics turned her into a viral sensation.
The Australian, whose real name is Rachael Gunn, failed to impress the judges in Paris as she writhed on the floor imitating a snake, hopped like a kangaroo and performed the spray during the inaugural breaking competition.
As a result, she has been widely ridiculed online, with some people spreading false and malicious rumours suggesting she benefited from a flawed selection process.
But now Raygun has spoken out for the first time to share his thoughts on his performance, the online attack and wild conspiracy theories during a personal message posted on Instagram.
The statement says:
Hi everyone, this is Raygun. I just want to start by thanking everyone who has supported me.
‘I really appreciate the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives, that’s what I was hoping for.
‘I didn’t realize that would also open the door to a lot of hate, which, frankly, has been pretty devastating.
Raygun has spoken for the first time since going viral at the Paris Olympics
She said the online hate following her performance has been “pretty devastating.”
‘I went out and had fun, but I took it very seriously. I worked really hard preparing for the Olympics and I gave it my all. I really did.
“I am honoured to have been part of the Australian Olympic team and to have participated in breaking’s Olympic debut. What the other athletes have achieved has been phenomenal.
‘Regarding the accusations and misinformation circulating, I would like to ask everyone to please refer to the recent statement made by AOC, as well as the posts on the Ausbreaking Instagram page, as well as the WDSF Breaking for Gold page.
Fun fact: There are actually no points for breaking. If you want to see how the judges compared me to my opponents, you can see the comparison percentages for all five criteria on Olympics.com, all the results are there.
‘I’ll be in Europe for a few weeks, during some pre-planned downtime, but I’d like to ask the press to please stop harassing my family, my friends, the Australian breakdance community and the street dance community at large. We’ve all been through a lot as a result of this, so I’d like to ask you to respect their privacy.
“I’ll be happy to answer further questions when I return to Australia.”