Paris Olympics: Australian breakdancer Raygun hits back with tough message to her trolls, slams IOC for banning sport in 2028

The Australian who went viral for her shocking Olympic routine has heavily criticised the IOC for shutting down the new sport of breaking without giving it a chance to succeed.

Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn caused a stir online with her Olympic debut performance, scoring no points in three heats.

She hopped like a kangaroo, at times resembled a T-Rex and rolled across the floor in an incoherent manner that both confused and entertained Australians watching the sport for the first time.

However, there will be no second act as it has already been removed from the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics and it is highly unlikely that it will be seen again in Brisbane in 2032.

According to Zack Slusser, vice president of Breaking for Gold USA and USA Dance, the fledgling sport was shut down early on because athletes couldn’t afford it.

“It was a miracle we were in Paris at all,” he said.

“But for the breakdancing community, it’s an achievement worth celebrating, even if the sport doesn’t return to the Olympic stage.”

Raygun broke the internet with her performance in Paris, but for all the wrong reasons.

Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn was slammed for her performance in the new Olympic sport of breaking

Gunn failed to score a single point in three heats and her routine went viral

Viewers queued up to criticize her routine, which pushed her to the bottom of the rankings, just ahead of Manizha Talash, who was disqualified for having the words “free Afghan women” written on her outfit.

“Raygun has a PhD in cultural studies and teaches breaking, hip hop culture, and gender studies related to these specific dances. This is Napoleon Dynamite level,” one viewer said after her performance.

“The fact that Raygun has a PhD in breakdancing is a commentary on academia vs. real world expertise,” added another.

“I feel a little sorry for Raygun, Australia’s #BreakingForGold – but that routine was hilariously ridiculous,” posted another.

In a scathing social media post, Gunn hit out at people who criticized her Olympic outfit after some trolls suggested she looked like a tennis umpire

However, she may have misjudged the audience with this response, as most of the criticism of her was about her performance, not her unremarkable outfit.

However, Raygun remains optimistic about the sport and criticised organisers for scrapping the sport without really giving it a chance.

“It was disappointing that the decision was made that the film wouldn’t be shown in LA, especially before we could even show it,” she said.

‘That might have been a bit premature. I wonder if they’re kicking themselves now?

‘What is an Olympic sport? What are the similarities between dressage and artistic swimming and the 100m sprint and the pentathlon?

‘Breaking is obviously athletic, it’s obviously a whole level of dedication on a number of different levels. It really brings a new level of excitement.’

In a scathing social media post, Gunn also slammed those who criticized her Olympic uniform, with some trolls claiming she looked like a tennis line official.

However, she may have misjudged the audience with this response, as most of the criticism of her was about her performance, not her unremarkable outfit..

“I look forward to having the same level of oversight on what the bboys are doing. [male breakdancers] wear tomorrow,” she posted on Instagram, suggesting there was a sexist element to the negative comments.

In a separate message, she said: “Don’t be afraid to be different. Go out there and represent yourself, you never know where that will take you.”

Gunn believes breaking was prematurely removed from the Olympics and said organisers should be ‘kicking themselves’

Although breaking has been scrapped for the 2028 Games, the governing body is pushing for it to return for the 2032 Brisbane Games

World DanceSport Federation (WDSF) president Shawn Tay said the organisation was “deeply disappointed” at not being able to return to California in 2028, but he hopes the sport can return to Brisbane.

“Our campaign to be included in Brisbane 2032 has already begun and is being ably led by our First Vice Chairman and Australian Tony Tilenni,” said Tay.

‘The initial reactions from all participants to the presentations, including the Brisbane officials at the Australian Olympic Committee celebrations for the Paris 2024 Games, were very optimistic about our chances of being included in these Games.

Even though breaking will not return to the Olympics, Slusser hopes that the attention the Games in Paris will bring will increase interest in the sport.

“The amount of exposure to the right people who can really drive change in our community, in our platform to help it grow — it’s going to be significant for us. It’s going to allow us, for the first time, to find sustainability and help improve our platform,” Slusser said.

“It would be great to see breaking come back to the Olympics. But at the same time, it really goes back to community work and taking advantage of this opportunity internally.”