Quick Hit:

Australia's Rachael "Raygun" Gunn apologized for the backlash her breakdancing performance at the Paris Olympics sparked within the breakdancing community. Her routine, which included a kangaroo hopping move, was widely ridiculed and criticized, with some questioning her qualifications.

Key Details:

• Rachael “Raygun” Gunn's breakdancing routine at the Paris Olympics was criticized globally, including being parodied on U.S. television.
• Gunn apologized to the breakdancing community, saying she was “very sorry for the backlash” her performance caused.
• Critics, including an online petition, questioned how she qualified for the Games and called her a "national embarrassment."

Diving Deeper:

Australia’s Rachael "Raygun" Gunn, a breakdancer whose performance at the Paris Olympics sparked widespread ridicule, has apologized for the backlash her routine caused within the breakdancing community. Gunn, who faced intense criticism for a move mimicking a kangaroo hop, expressed her regret in an interview with Australia’s Channel 10 broadcast on Wednesday.

In a segment of the interview, Gunn was directly asked if she considered herself the top female breakdancer in Australia. The 37-year-old, who is also a university lecturer in Sydney, confidently replied, “I think my record speaks to that.” Despite her confidence, Gunn lost all three of her match-ups against rival dancers in Paris.

Criticism of Gunn's Olympic performance grew to the point where an online petition — now removed — demanded that she issue a public apology. Some of her harshest critics in Australia have labeled her a “national embarrassment,” questioning how she qualified for the Olympic Games.

In a prerecorded segment published by news.com.au, Gunn apologized to the breakdancing community, acknowledging the negative response her performance received. "It’s really sad to hear the negative reaction to my performance," she said, adding, "And I am very sorry for the backlash that the community has experienced, but I can’t control how people react."

Gunn described the media frenzy following her performance in Paris as "wild," saying it left her in a state of panic. Her apology follows a previous statement released via social media, where she called the reaction to her performance “devastating.”

Gunn holds a bachelor's degree in contemporary music and a PhD in cultural studies, the latter focused on “the intersection of gender and Sydney’s breaking culture.”