Aussie 'Raygun' breakdancer mocked for her infamous Paris Olympics performance says 'it was not as bad as I thought' after watching it for first time

Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn has finally watched back the Olympics breakdancing routine that sparked global ridicule and became one of the most talked-about moments of the Paris Games, insisting: 'It was not as bad as I thought.'Ms Gunn became an overnight global sensation at the 2024 Paris Olympics after her unconventional breakdancing routine went viral, with the Australian failing to score a single point from the judges.The Sydney-based academic turned 'speak, host and conversation starter' was Australia's first Olympic breakdancer. Now, two years on from the much-maligned routine that made headlines around the world, the 38-year-old has finally plucked up the courage and watched it back in full.'I can't remember why, but I ended up watching it and I was like, "Oh, it's not as bad as I thought!",' she said.This comes after she revealed in a 2024 interview that she had only watched 'little bits and pieces' of her performance. The Australian has also opened up on Wednesday about what she took away from the Olympic experience, saying: 'I do think that we put in a little bit too much credence in online reactions. But online is not the real world. 'I get absolutely rubbished online, but I get a very, very different response in person. It’s a completely different experience.' Rachael 'Raygun' Gunn became an overnight global sensation at the 2024 Paris Olympics after her unconventional breakdancing routine went viral, Ms Gunn sparked widespread ridicule on social media after she lost all three of her round-robin battles without scoring a point'Maybe we need to reframe [ending up online] as a badge of honour that you've actually done something interesting,' she added in an interview with CNN. 'Paris is just part of my story. For me, its about radical acceptance of everything that's happened and just one foot in front of the other, just trying to move ahead.'In September 2024, Ms Gunn was ranked by the World DanceSport Federation as the world's number one breakdancer.This came after she represented Australia at the World Breaking Championships in 2021, 2022 and 2023. In November 2024, she announced she was retiring from competitive breakdancing after receiving overwhelming global criticism for her performance at the Olympics.The attention even prompted comedian Rachel Dratch to dress up as the breakdancer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, while Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Ms Gunn for having a 'crack'. Ms Gunn's story is set to be chronicled in a documentary from streaming giant Netflix next month, Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly, prompting frustration among dancers and longtime veterans of the art form that was developed in the United States more than five decades ago.The new documentary will also confront explosive false allegations that Ms Gunn cheated her way into Paris 2024 Olympics with help from her husband. Raygun's infamous performances in Paris have become synonymous with breaking Ms Gunn's story is set to be chronicled in a documentary from streaming giant Netflix next month, Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly The attention even prompted comedian Rachel Dratch to dress up as the breakdancer on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon The claims swept around the world after the Australian breakdancer received no judges' votes across her three battles at the 2024 Games. Meanwhile, the breakdancer's legal team also helped sink plans for Raygun: The Musical, with cease-and-desist notices forcing the production to close before it could start. Breaking, often referred to as breakdancing outside the community, was added to the Paris 2024 Olympic programme as organisers sought to attract a younger audience, sparking debate within the scene over whether one of hip-hop culture's foundational elements could be reconciled with the demands of elite sport. Most breakers eventually got on board, with Canadian b-boy Phil Wizard and Japan's Ami Yuasa taking the respective men's and women's golds with dazzling displays at the Place de la Concorde.The sport was left off the 2028 Los Angeles program well before the Paris Games began but its inclusion in 2024 prompted a surge of interest from sponsors, according to Red Bull BC One World Final 2011 winner Omar Delgado, known as b-boy Roxrite.The event still lingers under the Olympic umbrella, with breaking set to be a part of the Summer Youth Olympics in Dakar later this year.