Rachael “Raygun” Gunn, Australia’s first Olympic breakdancer, has finally done what millions of people with an internet connection did two years ago: she watched her Paris 2024 performance. And her verdict? “Not as bad as I thought!” Which, given that she scored zero points and became the internet’s favorite punchline, is roughly the equivalent of saying the Titanic was “a bit damp.”
In an interview with CNN published Wednesday, the Sydney academic-turned-speaker reflected on the moment her unconventional routine turned her into a global sensation - and a global mockery. “When I went viral, it was surreal. It made me feel kind of sick in the stomach - this sense of dread,” she said. “I just thought: ‘Surely, this is not actually happening. Surely, this is a weird, egotistical dream I’m having where I think my face is spread around the world.’” A dream, perhaps, but one with 100% more kangaroo hops and zero points.
Gunn, who was Australia’s first Olympic breakdancer, told CNN she had only previously seen “little bits and pieces” of her routine. But ahead of the upcoming Netflix documentary, Untold: Raygun: Breaking Badly, she finally sat down to watch the whole thing. “I can’t remember why, but I ended up watching it and I was like, ‘Oh, it’s not as bad as I thought!’” she said. We’ll take her word for it - though the judges’ scorecards suggest otherwise.
She also shared some hard-won wisdom about the internet. “I do think that we put in a little bit too much credence in online reactions. But online is not the real world,” she said. “I get absolutely rubbished online, but I get a very, very different response in person. It’s a completely different experience.” She suggests reframing online ridicule as “a badge of honour that you’ve actually done something interesting.” A badge of honour, perhaps, but one you wouldn’t want on your résumé.
Gunn also waded into the murky waters of gender scrutiny in sports. “I think female athletes are under more scrutiny. They just are,” she said. “It’s in terms of how they perform, what they wear, what their body shape is - they’re too muscly, they’re not muscly enough, they’re too chubby, they’re too skinny.” Meanwhile, male athletes just get to breakdance in peace.
The fallout from her performance has been nothing if not thorough: comedian Rachel Dratch dressed up as Raygun on The Tonight Show, Australia’s Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised her for having “a crack,” and a proposed musical, Raygun: The Musical, was unceremoniously shut down by her legal team. Creator Steph Broadbridge lamented, “They were worried I was damaging her brand, which I would never do.” Gunn’s team, meanwhile, cited the need to “safeguard Rachael’s creative rights and the integrity of her work.” Because nothing says integrity like a cease-and-desist.
As for what’s next, Gunn says, “Paris is now just a part of my story. For me, it’s more about radical acceptance of everything that’s happened and just one foot in front of the other, just trying to move ahead.” Radical acceptance, indeed - because when you’ve been meme-ified by the entire planet, there’s not much else to do but accept it and maybe watch the documentary.