Raygun, the rising star of the 2024 Olympics whose performance was heavily panned online (and by the Paris jury), took to social media on Thursday to explain that the backlash against her had been “pretty devastating.”

Raygun, real name Rachael Gunn, represented Australia in her first ever year at the Olympics. Her performance was widely ridiculed and she later faced further criticism after rumours arose that she had manipulated Australia’s selection process to get into the team.

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“I want to start by thanking all the people who have supported me. I really appreciate the positivity and I’m glad I was able to bring some joy into your lives,” Raygun began her video message, which she posted on Instagram on Thursday. “I didn’t realize (it) would also open the door to so much hate, which was quite devastating, to be honest.”

She continued: “Even though I went out there and had fun, I took it very seriously. I worked my ass off preparing for the Olympics and really gave it my all. I’m honoured to have been part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of Breaking’s Olympic debut. What the other athletes achieved was just phenomenal.”

Raygun, who also wrote a PhD thesis on Australia’s breaking culture, then addressed “the allegations and misinformation circulating” and referred those interested to statements from the Australian Olympic Committee, the Instagram page @ausbreaking and the World DanceSport Federation’s “Breaking for Gold” page.

A statement from AUSbreaking a few days ago said that the selection process for the Australian breaking team complied with WDSF regulations, “which are consistent with the standards of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). The aim of the process was to ensure a fair and transparent outcome.”

“Ultimately, Rachael Gunn and Jeff Dunne came out on top in exactly the same process and secured their places to represent Australia in Paris,” the statement continued. “Their selection was based solely on their performance in their bouts on the day.”

It concluded: “We condemn the global online harassment and bullying of Raygun. The pressure to perform on the Olympic stage is enormous, especially against opponents in their group. We stand in solidarity with Raygun.”

A statement from AOC echoed a similar message; a statement from WDSF condemned cyberbullying and harassment but did not mention Raygun by name.

In her Instagram message, the B-Girl also addressed the hate on the internet regarding the fact that she allegedly received a grade of zero from the jury.

“There aren’t really any points for breaking,” she said. “If you want to see how the judges found me compared to my opponents, you can see the percentage comparisons of the five criteria on olympics.com. The results are there.”

On olympics.com, the results of the competitions are displayed according to the number of votes from the 18 judges. Raygun received zero votes in all three rounds of her competition, losing each round 0:18.

Raygun ended her message by asking for privacy. “Please stop harassing my family, friends, the Australian breaking community and the wider street dance community,” she said. “Everyone has been through a lot because of this so I ask that you respect their privacy. I am happy to answer any further questions upon my return to Australia.”

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