She’s hanging up her dancing shoes.
Breakdancer Raygun announced she is retiring after the “really upsetting” backlash she faced following her performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
“I’m not going to compete anymore, no,” she said on Australia’s “The Jimmy & Nath Show” Tuesday.
“I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now to approach a battle.”
The 37-year-old dancer — born Rachael Gunn — added, “I still dance, and I still break. But, you know, that’s, like, in my living room with my partner. It’s been really upsetting. I just didn’t have any control over how people saw me or who I was.”
In August, Raygun faced heavy criticism after she failed to score a single point in the inaugural breaking competition.
During her performance, she hopped like a kangaroo, spun around on her head, threw her arms in the air like a windmill, rolled around on her shoulders and reached for her toes while lying on her side.
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One social media user compared Raygun’s botched choreography to that of actress Julia Stiles, who starred in the 2001 film “Save the Last Dance.”
“I want Raygun, the 36 year old Australian breakdancer possessed by the spirit of Julia Stiles in Save the Last Dance, to know that I am now her biggest fan and she should never stop doing whatever it is she’s trying to do,” the fan wrote on X.
Comedian Rachel Dratch even spoofed Raygun’s performance during an August episode of “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.”
Following the backlash, Raygun, who became ranked No. 1 in the world by the World DanceSport Federation, took to social media to thank her supporters and condemn those who spewed hate.
“Hi everyone, Raygun here. I just 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, that’s what I hoped,” she began the video.
“I didn’t realize that that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating.”
English (US) ·