Two years ago, Olympic history was made, for better or worse, as Rachael “Raygun” Gunn took to the world stage to compete for gold in breaking.
On August 10th in Paris, Gunn competed in the breaking women’s b-girls round-robin event, delivering a performance that would go viral on a global scale. The reaction to the routine was instantaneous and immense, with Gunn revealing in a new documentary, Raygun: Breaking Badly, the moment she stepped off the world stage, Olympic media advisors warned her to ‘stay off social media’.
Online, light-hearted mockery swiftly turned volatile as misinformation spread, suggesting Gunn and her husband, Samuel Free, who doubled as her coach, had allegedly “cheated” their way to the Paris Olympics.
“I was cringe. I brought shame and embarrassment on the country. That was rough,” she says.
“I felt like my whole life was just crumbling before me in a way that I could never have anticipated, and I was just trying to get through the day,” Gunn says to camera in the doco.
Why Do People Think Raygun Cheated In The Olympics?
After Raygun’s viral Olympic performance, criticism contorted into misinformation, with users online claiming the b-girl had cheated her way into the competition.
Claims that Gunn’s husband had been part of the judging panel that elected her to represent Australia quickly circulated online. However, there’s no evidence of this or of any misconduct in Gunn’s selection for the Olympics.
“People [were] not even doing basic due diligence,” Free explains of the conspiracy theories.
In fact, Lowe, Head of Ausbreaking, confirmed the judging panel consisted of independent international judges, organised by him.
Where Is Raygun Now?
Toward the end of the Raygun documentary, the b-girl discusses how she slowly overcame the emotional and mental toll of the reaction to her Olympic performance.
“It just still feels surreal to me. I’m still figuring out who I am now. Am I Rachael or Raygun,” she says.
Gunn also revealed she’s now left her job in academia and, slowly, has begun dancing again.
According to her official website, she’s now turned her focus to other pursuits, describing herself as a “speaker, writer, and creator.”
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