Some say bullying builds character, but for humiliated Australian break dancer Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn, the retaliation from her showing at the Paris Olympics has forced her to retire from break dancing.

“I’m not going to compete anymore,” Gunn told Australian radio station 2DayFM this week, as reported by Aljazeera.

Gunn’s dancing was ridiculed throughout social media, through memes and snide comments.

I think it’s died down enough to declare which are the best of Raygun the Australian Olympic Break Dancer green screen memes. pic.twitter.com/aroSXi1IrS

— Pause For Claws (@PauseForClaws)August 14, 2024

So dire was the situation that the 37-year-old opted to stay in Europe instead of returning Down Under with the rest of the Australian athletes who participated in the Olympics.

The dancer, who is also a lecturer, lost all three of her round-robin battles by a combined score of 54-0 when breaking made its Olympic debut at the Place de la Concorde.

‘I still break. But…’

Following the Paris Olympics, a petition was launched by her fellow citizens who suggested that Gunn elected herself to represent Australia in breaking at the Games.

The petition, which was created on 12 August on the change.org platform, attracted more than 50,000 signatures.

Gunn was accused of ‘manipulating the selection process to her own advantage’ so she could be chosen above more talented Aussie female breakers – an allegation described as ‘raising serious questions about the fairness and integrity of the process’.

Posting Olympic memes IRL #Raygun pic.twitter.com/uBe1PfS2PE

— Rudy Willingham (@RudyWillingham)August 13, 2024

“We demand a public apology from Rachael Gunn and Anna Mears [sic] for misleading the Australian public and attempting to gaslight the public and undermining the efforts of genuine athletes,” the statement reads.

Speaking months after the Olympics wrapped up; Gunn said the pushback she faced has made it difficult to compete in any other break dancing battle.

“I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now — to approach a battle,” she said.

“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.”

Bullying

When the aforementioned petition was launched the Australian Olympic Committee (AOC) described the petition as bullying.

AOC Chief Executive Matt Carroll said the petition was “vexatious, misleading and bullying”.

“No athlete who has represented their country at the Olympic Games should be treated in this way and we are supporting Dr Gunn and Anna Meares at this time,” averred Carroll.

The chief executive said the AOC had written to change.org demanding the petition be taken down immediately. The link to the petition is currently inaccessible, as it is under review.