"Devastated": Raygun finally breaks silence
Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn, otherwise known as Raygun, has broke her silence on all the hate she's received since her Olympic performance went viral.
Everyone was talking about Raygun during the Paris Games after she competed in the breakdancing competition, which ran for the first time this year, and failed to make it through the first round.
Now, the 36-year-old has taken to Instagram to share how "devastated" she is by the online barrage, while thanking all her supporters and discussing the impact the torrent of negativity and "misinformation" have had on her since the sport's Olympic debut.
"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 said, in a video filmed on a street in France.
"I didn't realise that that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly, been pretty devastating."
“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."
“I am honoured to have been a part of the Australian Olympic team and to be part of breaking's Olympic debut.”
In her video, Raygun added a “fun fact” about how battles are scored.
“Bit of a fun fact for you: there are actually no points in breaking. If you wanted to see how the judges thought I compared to my opponents, you can actually see the comparison percentages across the five criteria on Olympics.com. All the results are there.”
Her comments came after an anonymous online petition falsely accusing her of "manipulating the selection process to her own advantage", which quickly gathered tens of thousands of signatures.
The Australian Olympic Committee issued a scathing statement debunking the claims and labelling the petition "vexatious, misleading and bullying" and called for the petition to be taken down.
She also urged everyone to “stop harassing” her family, friends, and the Australian breaking and the broader street dance community.
“Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this so I ask you to still respect their privacy,” she added.
Image credits: Paul Kitagaki, Jr/ZUMA Press Wire/Shutterstock