Australian breaker Rachael Gunn says ridicule of her Olympic performance has been 'devastating'
Australian breaker Rachael Gunn says the backlash to her much-ridiculed Olympic performance has been “devastating,” adding that she took the competition seriously and gave her best effort
SYDNEY (AP) — Australian breaker Rachael Gunn said the backlash to her much-ridiculed Olympic performance has been “devastating,” adding Thursday that she took the competition seriously and gave her best effort.
The 36-year-old b-girl known as Raygun said in a video posted to social media that she wasn’t prepared for the level of negative attention she has received since judges awarded her zero points in her Olympic debut. Meanwhile, the Australian Olympic Committee criticized an anonymous online petition attacking the Paris Games competitor, saying it was “vexatious, misleading and bullying.”
“I didn’t realize that that would also open the door to so much hate, which has, frankly, been pretty devastating,” Gunn said. “But I went out there and I had fun. I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly.”
The sport of breaking made its Olympic debut in Paris, and one of the lasting images was the performance of Gunn, a 36-year-old university professor from Sydney — who did a “kangaroo dance” among other questionable moves during her routine — and did not receive a single point from any of the nine judges in either round.
