Rachael Gunn, known by her stage name Raygun, is ready to reclaim her narrative two years after her performance at the Paris Olympics in 2024 catapulted her into global infamy and online ridicule. The break-dancer, who became an international punchline, is set to share her side of the story in the new Netflix documentary, "Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly."
At 38 years old, Gunn transformed from a relative unknown into a viral sensation after her six-minute breaking performance. The widespread mockery, often accompanied by memes and jokes, took a significant toll on her mental health. She revealed that she struggled to leave her home in the aftermath of the event. Gunn and her husband, Samuel Free, who also served as her coach, faced a barrage of conspiracy theories and accusations of cheating their way into the Games.
"I wouldn't have been in a space to be able to talk about it, let alone laugh about it as much," Gunn told Stellar magazine. She described the documentary as a form of closure, stating, "So much of what happened was everyone else's voices. I couldn't cut through. People weren't ready to listen. I had no control over the narrative."
Gunn credits therapy and medication for helping her to accept the events of Paris and to rebuild her life. "I feel like finally, I can just be unapologetically me. It's really empowering, freeing," she said. Her greatest fear before leaving for Paris, she confided in her therapist, was having her Olympic performance mocked, a fear that ultimately materialized.
The documentary also explores Gunn's relationship with Free, whom she met in 2008. The couple faced joint attacks, with Free's ethics also being questioned due to his role as her coach. "We face everything together... he just keeps encouraging and supporting me," Gunn said of Free. "It did bring us closer together because it was both of us being attacked. His ethics were being attacked. He's a disability support worker; a caring, ethical person. It was hard on both of us to see our names dragged through the mud, and people saying things that were completely false like it was the truth."
Gunn's fellow competitors in the documentary reject the cheating allegations. The couple also acknowledged that they recognized her unique, creative style of breaking was unlikely to compete with the power moves of her rivals. The pressure led to a panic attack in the Olympic Village. "In the lead-up [to the Games], I wasn't able to enjoy dancing," she recalled. "It just became a huge source of stress."
Despite the ordeal, Gunn remains committed to her passion for breaking. "I'm not gonna let anything stop me from doing something I love," she asserted. "The breaking community has been amazing. Every event I went to, people welcomed me back. I love this scene!" She highlighted the inclusive nature of the breaking community, emphasizing its foundation in "peace, unity, love, and having fun."