Australian breaker Rachael Gunn, who drew global scrutiny for her performance at Paris 2024, will no longer compete, revealing that she has retired following the tidal wave of attention that left her without “any control over how people saw me or who I was”.
Gunn, 37, a university lecturer from Sydney who specialises in the cultural politics of breaking, failed to score any points at the Paris Olympics in three routines that included a kangaroo and a sprinkler in her breaking battles. It became a flashpoint, as Gunn was the target of online ridicule, and even a petition, and worldwide attention.
Rachael Gunn’s performance at the Olympics captured worldwide attention.Credit: AP
Speaking on 2DayFM Jimmy & Nath for Breakfast show on Wednesday, Gunn said that the reaction to her Paris performance had been personally upsetting and that she would no longer compete.
“I still break, but I don’t compete. I’m not going to compete any more. No. No,” she said.
“I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now to approach a battle.
“Yeah, I mean 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.
“Dancing is so much fun, and it makes you feel good. I don’t think people should feel crap about the way that they dance.
“If you get out there, and you have fun on the dance floor then just own it.”
Breaking was a controversial choice for Paris, and it is not on the program for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. Had it been included, Gunn said she would not have come out of retirement for LA.
“No,” she laughed. “Nooooooo.”
In September, Gunn was ranked the No.1 female breaker, with the World DanceSport Federation putting out a statement to explain why. The ranking was based on each athlete’s top four performances within the past 12 months — but excluded Olympic events and qualifiers. Raygun’s win at the Oceania championships in October 2023 earned her 1000 points.
Gunn also addressed various conspiracy theories that sprang up, including a claim that her husband, Samuel Free, who is also her coach, was involved in her selection. The Australian Olympic Committee and AusBreaking had blasted the vitriol aimed at Gunn as “bullying” and “harassment”, while chef de mission Anna Meares took aim at “keyboard warriors”.
“Look, it’s surreal,” Gunn said. “It’s still impossible to process. The conspiracy theories were totally wild.
“But I just try and stay on the positives and that’s what gets me through. The people that have like [said], you have inspired me to go out there and do something that I’ve been too shy to do. You’ve brought joy, you’ve brought laughter. You know, we’re so proud of you.
“And just like really f—ing lovely things that people have written and that is just what I hold on to.”
