Olympic breakdancer Raygun has apologized to the entire breakdancing community for her controversial performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Raygun apologizes for disrupting community behavior
Olympic breakdancer Rachel Gunn (known by her b-girl name Raygun) sat down with Australian talk show The Project on Wednesday (September 4) to discuss the devastation she experienced after her controversial performance in Paris. Host Waleed Aly read out some criticism to Raygun, including from Australian rap pioneer Spice, who accused Raygun of pushing the breakthrough scene back into the “dark ages”.
“Yeah, listen, it’s really sad to hear the criticism,” Regan began around the nine-minute mark. “I’m very sorry for the backlash the community has experienced but I can’t control people’s reactions. Unfortunately we just need more resources in Australia to give us a chance to beat the world champions. Unfortunately, historically Look, we don’t have the best record of winning world championships yet, so I don’t think it’s just my responsibility.
Regan also responded to the online conspiracy that erupted after her performance, including one that claimed her husband and coach Samuel Free had rigged the selection process.
“Conspiracy theories are so scary,” Regan said. “It’s disturbing because it’s not just people who don’t understand Breakthrough and are angry about my performance, there are now people who are attacking our reputation and our integrity. None of them are based on any facts and obviously they are still circulating .
When asked how she qualified for the Olympics, Regan said: “I won the Oceania Championships. It was a direct qualifier.”
READ MORE: Controversial breakdancer Raygun didn’t cheat to qualify for the 2024 Olympics – here’s how she qualified
Backlash after Raygun show
Regan became famous at the Olympics for doing what some call the kangaroo jump and rolling on the ground. As a result, the performance was met with both roars of laughter and intense online hate. Memes are slowly disappearing from social media. People also posted tweets mocking her with “these foods don’t work!” and “*15 minutes later*” comparing Raygun’s movements to the effects of drugs on the body.
Many questioned how she could possibly qualify for the Olympics, and things took a turn for the worse after a petition accusing Regon of “unethical behavior” began going viral. The petition accumulated more than 28,000 signatures before it was taken down.
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Watch Raygun’s interview below.
