Meet the man who got Raygun into breaking – then married her – and gave Olympics fans an ominous sneak preview of her routine in Paris

The man behind Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn’s viral Olympic performance warned the world this was coming.

The Australian made headlines for all the wrong reasons at the Paris Olympics. She was chosen to represent her country in her debut sport, breakdancing, but she delivered a disastrous performance after being coached by her husband, fellow breakdancer Samuel Free.

Gunn failed to score a single point in three battles and was heavily criticised for her routine and uniform, both of which were typically Australian.

This included kangaroo jumping, wriggling like a snake and even using ‘the sprinkler’, an iconic Australian dance trick often used by men who can’t dance.

Although she was the butt of jokes online, Gunn received a very different reception from her fellow Australian Olympians when she performed for them just before the closing ceremony.

Samuel Free is a title-winning breakdancer and has been Raygun’s coach and husband since 2018.

In an interview with Stan Sport ahead of his wife’s performance in Paris, he indicated that the cringe moves would likely be part of her routine.

“Mixed emotions, there’s a lot of pressure but also a lot of excitement,” he said.

“We can take something that we’re so passionate about and love and show it to the rest of the world, which largely hasn’t seen what we have to show.”

“She’ll definitely have a few autographs to show and there’ll be a few surprises in there as well, she’ll try to add a bit of an Australian touch.”

She was coached by her husband Samuel Free, who had his own Olympic dreams until he was seriously injured

Free made the difficult decision to step down as a participant and become a team coach

When Stan’s presenter jokingly asked if Raygun would bring out the sprinkler during the Olympics, he replied: ‘Look, anything is possible, there’s a lot going on there at that time.’

“We’re not going to give away any secrets for the match at this point, but definitely keep your eyes peeled. There will be some surprises.”

Raygun was introduced to the sport through her future husband and admitted she wasn’t immediately enthusiastic about the idea.

‘Not long after we started dating, he took me to Hornsby PCYC where he trained [in breaking] with the boys,’ she told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“I thought it was cool, but not something I would ever try. As a dancer, I’ve spent years learning choreography; these guys were all doing their own thing, which was intimidating.

“He encouraged me to try it, but it was hard and overwhelming. A woman’s body is different than a man’s – we have hips – so when a crewmate said, ‘Just go up,’ I said, ‘That’s not going to work for me.’

“But Sammy recognized that, and that gave me a sense of strength.”

Raygun became an overnight sensation for all the wrong reasons after failing to score a single point in his first Olympic appearance.

Despite the public outcry, Raygun was treated like a hero by her fellow Olympians in Paris when she did some warm-up exercises in the village ahead of the closing ceremony (pictured)

Free indicated that his wife would be filming some classic Australian films before appearing at the Paris Games

She quickly found her feet in the sport and entered her first competition in 2012. She became an academic in sports.

Gunn became a lecturer at Macquarie University in Sydney and completed her PhD in philosophy with her thesis entitled ‘Deterritorializing Gender in Sydney’s Breakdancing Scene: a B-girl’s Experience of B-boying’.

However, an injury to his anterior cruciate ligament threw a spanner in the works for Samuel’s own competitive ambitions and it soon became clear that Gunn had the better chance of the two to realise their Olympic dream.

“We were surprised when we heard that breaking sports would be in the Paris Olympics; Free said:

‘Rachael was the best woman in Australia and I probably could have qualified, but I made the difficult but pragmatic decision to use my skills as a team coach.’

Gunn admits that having her husband as a coach can be frustrating, but she credits him with helping her get to the Olympics.

“I got annoyed when he kept pushing me. I never thought I would ever go to the Olympics. But Sammy saw potential,” she said ahead of the Paris Games.

‘Qualifying for the Olympics has changed our lives; it’s a great platform to showcase what we do.

‘Sammy would probably have liked to have been involved, but we had a limited number of people in Australia with the expertise needed to coach. He may not perform, but his stamp will be seen in my every move.’