Raygun reveals her secret struggle after intense global backlash for her Paris Olympic breakdance routine – as cruel trolls’ taunts take a toll on her wellbeing
- Australian athlete Raygun ‘struggles’ after negative reactions
- Breakdancer trolled over Olympics performance
An Australian athlete from Australia has revealed that Raygun is struggling with her breakdancing performance due to the negative reactions worldwide.
Jessica Fox revealed that the criticism of last week’s performance has taken a “devastating” toll on Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn.
Her comments came after Australia’s Olympic competitors were welcomed back to home soil on Wednesday.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese waited with family and friends in a Qantas hangar at Sydney airport.
Gunn, however, was not part of the happy team, as she had decided to stay in Europe and travel with her husband, fellow breakdancer Samuel Free.
Fox, who took home two gold medals, said the hate Gunn received after her “interpretive” breakdancing performance had a huge impact on her.
“I’ve spoken to her; it’s devastating for her,” Fox told the Sydney Morning Herald.
“To see the toll… she’s a human being and what she’s been through this past week is huge. She’s definitely felt it.
Jessica Fox revealed that the criticism of last week’s performance has taken a ‘devastating’ toll on Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn
Gunn was not part of the Australian team when they arrived in Sydney, having previously decided to travel with her husband, fellow breakdancer Samuel Free, after the Games ended.
“There’s a human behind all of this, and humans are so quick to be horrible. She doesn’t deserve that.”
The Australian team did their best to support Gunn amid the wave of hate, with footage even emerging of teammates dancing with the breakdancer before the Games’ closing ceremony.
“It was special for us to support her during the closing ceremony and show her our appreciation as a valuable member of our team,” Fox said.
Several other Australian Olympians have also spoken out in support of Gunn, including swimmer Zac Stubblety-Cook who described the criticism as “disappointing” and Stubbelty-Cook who said it was “bloody amazing” to see Gunn smiling during the ceremony.
Gunn has been the subject of numerous memes and online videos ridiculing her Olympic achievements.
Australian Olympic Committee chief Matt Carroll told the outlet that Gunn had been offered support services in Paris, which will continue once she returns to Australia
However, that negativity also manifested itself in the form of accusations that she did not deserve to be part of the Olympic team and that she deliberately lost the competition for the sake of academic studies.
Australian Olympic Committee chief executive Matt Carroll told media that Gunn has been offered support services in Paris, and that these will continue once she returns to Australia.
“Someone comes first and someone comes last. But they’re all doing their very best and they’re all extremely dedicated. I think they should be respected either way,” he said.