Australian breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has introduced her retirement from competitors, citing a “actually upsetting” backlash following her efficiency on the Paris Olympics.
Raygun, 37, turned one thing of a worldwide laughing inventory after her unorthodox routine, together with kangaroo hops and imitating a sprinkler, didn’t impress the judges on the video games.
Her strikes have been copied on late-night discuss reveals and her retro inexperienced tracksuit was mercilessly parodied on-line.
Gunn advised Sydney radio she was nonetheless breaking however not competing.
“I’m not going to compete any extra,” she advised Australian radio station 2DayFM on Wednesday.
“I used to be going to maintain competing, for certain, however that appears actually troublesome for me to do now to method a battle.
“Yeah, I imply I nonetheless dance, and I nonetheless break. However, , that’s like in my front room with my accomplice.
“It’s been actually upsetting. I simply didn’t have any management over how folks noticed me or who I used to be.”
Conspiracy theories abounded to elucidate how the college lecturer had even made it to the Australian Olympic group.
Gunn, an in a single day sensation, misplaced all three of her round-robin battles by a mixed rating of 54-0 when breaking made its Olympic debut on the Place de la Concorde.
A web-based petition that accused Gunn of manipulating the qualification process to earn her Paris spot attracted 50,000 signatures earlier than it was eliminated on the request of the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC).
The AOC additionally refuted a declare that Gunn’s husband, Samuel Free, who can also be her coach, was concerned in her choice.
Gunn stated the “conspiracy theories have been completely wild”.
“However I simply try to keep on the positives and that’s what will get me by way of,” she added.
“The those who have like [said], ‘you’ve impressed me to go on the market and do one thing that I’ve been too shy to do. You’ve introduced pleasure, you’ve introduced laughter. You recognize, we’re so pleased with you.’”
Whereas many lampooned her efficiency on social media, Gunn received help from others, together with her fellow Australian Olympians and even the nation’s prime minister.
Raygun did have the final snicker in September when she was briefly elevated to the highest of the World Dance Sport Federation (WDSF) rankings.
The WDSF named her the primary ladies’s breakdancer based mostly on successful the Oceania Championship, considered one of just a few occasions held that counted in the direction of the rankings within the run-up to the Olympics.
Breaking was dropped from the Olympic programme for the 2028 Video games in Los Angeles. Gunn stated she wouldn’t think about popping out of retirement if the dance sport returned to the video games.
