Viral Olympic Breakdancer Raygun Shares Mental Health Update Two Years After Paris Backlash

Rachael Gunn, the Australian Olympian who went viral after her breakdancing performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics, is speaking out.

Gunn, 38, who competed in the inaugural breakdancing event under the name B-girl Raygun, spoke to People ahead of the release of the new Netflix special, Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly, where she shared an update on her mental health two years after becoming a worldwide meme.

In the documentary, Gunn addresses the rumors and critiques that came after her performance at the Paris Games, including accusations that her husband, Samuel Free, played a part in her representing the Australian national team at the Olympics.

Gunn got involved in the sport after meeting Free, 39, who formerly competed in Sydney, Australia’s breaking community under the name B-Boy Sammy The Free and later became a doctor of cultural studies exploring “de-territorializing gender” in breakdancing.

The rumors, Gunn told People, couldn’t be further from the truth, with two of Gunn’s peers, B-girl Flix and B-girl Tinylocks, sharing in the film that despite rumblings of Free’s ties to the Australian Breaking Association, Gunn “was the best B-girl on that day,” with the doc making clear that Gunn won the spot on Team Australia fair and square.

Though Gunn is finally telling her side of the story, the professional athlete said some parts were “absolutely difficult to watch,” including remarks from Flix and Tinylocks, who said they were “offended” and “embarrassed” by Gunn’s performance, calling it “sloppy.”

“I hadn’t seen anything until I sat down and watched it,” Gunn said of hearing the critiques from her peers, telling the outlet that she understands the criticism from her fellow breakers.

“To be honest, it was a really hard time for breakers around the world, and it was an especially hard time for Australian B girls because of the attention that the community got, the scrutiny, the harassment. So people respond to that in different ways, so I understand that it was a hard time for them,” she explained.

What hurt the most, however, was the viral nature of the performance and the millions of memes that followed.

“All of the fast edits of the world’s reactions, and how big it got… the parts that were really tough at the time,” Gunn remarked about being “reduced to a viral meme.”

She continued, “But also, it was like, wow, I got through that. We got through that. My husband and I, that’s amazing. We were kind of reminded of how insane it was, how absurd it was. So it was really cool to see me get through it at the end.”

Now, two years later, Gunn, who admittedly went on antidepressants following the incident, told People her mental health is “good” these days, adding that it’s something she’s “constantly checking in on.”

“If I need to pull back from things, if I need to just take it easy at home, then I do that,” Gunn said.

While she’s largely stepped away from the sport since the 2024 Olympics, Gunn is still very much involved in the breaking community, entering “small local jams” with her crew.

“I’ve entered with some up-and-coming B-girls, give them some experience, and it’s been really nice to just go back in and support the scene and be part of the community,” she said before revealing what she’s learned since the viral moment.

“I think certainly this whole experience has made me a lot stronger, a lot more resilient,” Gunn added, noting that she’s far less fazed by the hate these days. “But it’s been really nice that I’ve had a chance to share my experiences through some speaking gigs and things like that, and try and inspire people to be themselves and to get through what life throws at you.”