Shivangi Sinha
Rachael Gunn AKA Raygun became one of the most talked-about athletes of the 2024 Paris Olympics after her unconventional breaking routine went viral. Her performance, which included kangaroo-inspired movements, earned no points and sparked widespread ridicule, memes and even unfounded conspiracy theories about her qualifications. In Netflix’s ‘Untold: Raygun: Breaking Badly,’ Gunn revisits the journey that led her to the Olympic stage. She explained how breaking became such an important part of her life and the extraordinary backlash that followed her unexpected rise to global attention.
Rachael Gunn AKA Raygun Only Started Breakdancing in Her 20s
Rachael Louise Gunn was welcomed into the world by her parents, Russell and Beverly Gunn, on September 2, 1987. She and her brother, Brendan, grew up in the Hornsby area of New South Wales, Australia. Her childhood was fairly normal, and although Rachael danced a little and took classes in tap, ballroom and jazz, her parents said they never imagined she would pursue it professionally. She started college at Barker University but later changed to Macquarie University, where she studied contemporary music. In 2008, she met Samuel Free for the first time, who had been a member of the breakdancing community for a long time.
Rachael said that when she first saw the dancing format, she was completely taken by it and gradually began joining in herself. In 2012, she entered her first competition under the name Raygun, which eventually became her stage name. She started training seriously and even invited her parents to watch her performances. By 2022, she was second in the Australian Open B-girl Ranking, and in 2023, she climbed to the top. As she continued placing highly in competitions, the announcement that breaking would become an Olympic sport at the 2024 Games filled her with excitement at the prospect of becoming an Olympian. Rachael won the Oceania Breaking Championships and got a spot at the prestigious event.
In preparation for the competition, Rachael said she trained like an athlete, knowing she had a lot of catching up to do. By then, her husband, Samuel, was coaching her, and the two experimented with different kinds of choreography for her Olympic performance. When Rachael entered the competition, she initially felt out of place and underprepared. After failing to gain any points in the first two rounds of the round-robin battles, she decided to take a leap and perform one of the choreographies she and Samuel had prepared to represent Australia. It included kangaroo hops and other unconventional moves, which quickly became a source of mockery online. Rachael was trolled across social media for her performance. She later stepped back and limited her social media presence. She announced her retirement from breaking in November 2024.
Rachael Gunn Became the Target of Online Trolls After Her Performance
Rachael Gunn has spoken openly about how deeply the social media trolling affected her and her family. She said she began receiving threatening messages and felt there was little she could do in response. At the time, several conspiracy theories and false claims also circulated, including one that falsely accused Samuel of helping his wife secure a place at the Olympics. An anonymous petition demanding an apology from Rachael also gained attention. The Australian Olympic Committee defended both Gunn and her selection, while the petition was withdrawn by August 2024.
That same day, Rachael decided to speak publicly about what had been going through her mind during her final battle. She explained that she knew she could not physically stand out against much younger competitors, so she chose choreography that relied more heavily on meaning and the representation of Australian cultural symbols. Public opinion of her performance remains divided, with some appreciating its originality while others still believe it fell short of the Olympic standard.
Rachael Gunn is Devoated to Philanthropic and Charitable Endeavors Today
Rachael Gunn began her academic career at Macquarie University, where she completed a Bachelor of Arts (Honors) in Contemporary Music and Cultural Studies from 2006 to 2009. She graduated with First Class Honors. She continued at the university for a PhD in Media, Music, Communication and Cultural Studies from 2011 to 2016. During this period, she was also involved with the Macquarie Dance Academy. Between 2010 and 2011, Gunn worked as a Receptionist/Administrative Assistant at Hall Consulting Group in Chatswood. From 2011 to 2016, she worked at Macquarie University as an Academic Tutor, Guest Lecturer and Unit Convenor. She also worked as a Research Assistant and served as a Student Representative on the Higher Degree Research Committee from 2012 to 2014.
From 2017 to December 2020, Gunn was a Scholarly Teaching Fellow at Macquarie, designing and developing media studies and internship units. She later became a Lecturer in December 2020 and held that position until March 2026. Alongside teaching and research, Gunn contributed to several projects, including ‘Queer Contexts in Australia and Aotearoa/New Zealand,’ ‘Expand Professional & Community Engagement Through Community Video Production,’ ‘Planning for Graduate Success,’ ‘Dance and Protest,’ and ‘Spaces for Street Dance,’ a City of Sydney-commissioned study exploring Sydney’s street dance community.
Rachael has also written for publications including The Economist and The Conversation. Following her Olympic appearance, Gunn has used her platform to support mental health, women’s shelters and community initiatives. She has been associated with organizations like the GRC Council, Women Resilience Center, and the Bunyip Daycare/Preschool. She has become a sought-after public speaker who is available to be booked for events. She also has a cameo account and interacts with her fans and followers in a much more personal capacity.
Rachael Gunn Has Not Let the Trolling Define Her
Rachael Gunn has continued to build a career that extends beyond competitive breaking. In August 2025, she appeared as a panelist at Breaking Project Presents: ‘The State of Hip Hop Dance 2025: Mapping the Movement’. In May 2026, she featured in an advertising campaign for Sky Sports, and in August 2026, she was interviewed by Stellar Magazine. Gunn has also been conducting dance workshops and supporting charitable initiatives, using the attention surrounding her Olympic performance to create positive opportunities. Rather than allowing the continued criticism and online hate to define her, she has turned the experience into motivation. She and Samuel have been happily married since 2018, and both of them prefer to keep their private lives away from prying eyes.
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