Australian Breakdancer Raygun Announces Retirement After Paris Olympics

Australian dancer The Raygun he recently announced that his first Olympics will be his last.

Raygun, 37, revealed on Tuesday, November 5, that he will retire from professional competition following his viral performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics. “I'm still breaking but I'm not competing. I can't compete anymore, no,” said the athlete whose real name is Rachael Gunn during an interview in Australia. The Jimmy and Nath Show.

Raygun said he planned to continue competing at the world's best after the Olympics earlier this summer, but the reaction to his performance at the games made it difficult to do so.

“That is visible [like a] It's a really hard thing for me to do now, to go to war. “I'm still dancing and breaking out, but that's like being in my living room with my partner,” he explained. “I think the level of scrutiny that's going to be there and, you know, people are going to be recording it and it's going to go online. And it just doesn't mean the same thing. It will never be the same because of everything that is at stake.”

Although fans won't be seeing Raygun back on the dance floor anytime soon, he teased that he “has some projects going on behind the scenes.” He also said: “All in all, the same kind of vibe of trying to bring more peace, trying to encourage people to dance, be happy and creative and be themselves, be themselves, whatever that might be. look like.”

Raygun was the talk of social media at the Paris Olympics after she competed in the League's first ever dance event. He failed to win but left an impression on the audience with his unique dance moves.

However, her Olympic debut was also criticized as some observers compared her skill level to that of her competitors. A petition calling for transparency in Raygun's selection for the Olympics was started by fans in August, suggesting he “cheated” his way into Team Australia and took the place of more deserving dancers.

Australian breaking news organization AUSBreak quickly shut down rumors that Raygun had cheated his way into the Olympics. “We condemn the global harassment and abuse of Raygun online,” the group wrote in a statement in August. “There is a lot of pressure for him to play in the Olympic category, especially from his team's rivals. We stand in solidarity with Raygun.”

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Raygun broke his silence in response later that month. “Thank you very much for having a good idea and I am glad that I was able to bring happiness into your lives. That's what I was hoping for,” he said in a video dated August 15 on Instagram. “I didn't know that it would open the gate of so much hatred, and it was obvious that it hurt a lot. While I went out there and had fun, I took it seriously. I worked hard, preparing for the Olympics and gave it my all, really.”

He went on to say: “Everyone has been through a lot because of this, so please respect their privacy.”

Raygun went on to call the response to her Olympics performance “shocking,” saying in a September interview with Australia's Channel 10 TV that viewers are “uneducated” about professional dancing.

“I'm very sorry for retaliating against the community, but I can't control how people react,” he said. “Unfortunately, we need more resources in Australia to have a chance to be world champions.”