Australian breakdancer Raygun has spoken out about the online criticism of her controversial performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The 2024 Games, held in the French capital, began on July 26 and came to a close on Sunday (August 11).
The popular multi-sports event introduced breakdancing as an official competitive event, in which top dancers from around the world showed off their skills in front of an audience.
One woman named Rachael Gunn - whose b-girl name is Raygun - became an internet sensation after her bizarre performance.
The 36-year-old raised eyebrows with her moves as she started kangaroo hopping, standing on her head, slithering like a snake and even rolling around on her shoulder.
Many people shared their reactions online as one user wrote: "I could live all my life and never come up with anything as funny as Raygun, the 36-year-old Australian Olympic breakdancer."
Another referred to her as a "troll," stating: "Raygun will go down as the most successful troll in Olympics history. How she pulled off this nonsense to be an Olympian representing her country in something she has zero talent or skill in needs a documentary. I wanna hear her story. #Raygun."
A third user quipped: "There has not been an Olympic performance this dominant since Usain Bolt’s 100m sprint at Beijing in 2008. Honestly, the moment Raygun broke out her Kangaroo move this competition was over! Give her the #breakdancing gold."
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The judges were clearly not a fan of her routine as Gunn lost all three round-robin battles 18-0, 18-0, 18-0 against the USA, France, and Lithuania.
Gunn has now spoken up against the criticism and maintained that her moves were "creative," regardless of what detractors may think.
“What I wanted to do was come out here and do something new and different and creative - that’s my strength, my creativity,” she told ESPN.
“I was never going to beat these girls on what they do best, the dynamic and the power moves, so I wanted to move differently, be artistic and creative because how many chances do you get that in a lifetime to do that on an international stage," she added.
The dancer, who is a Macquarie University lecturer, said that all she wanted was to show her artistry, per E! News.
While she didn’t earn her country any points for her participation in the Olympics, breakdancing judge MGbility, whose real name is Martin Gilian, defended the dancer.
"I feel personally very sorry. The breaking and hip hop community definitely stands behind her," MGbility told News Corp. "The breaking and hip hop community definitely supports her. She was attempting to bring something fresh, something original that represented her country.
"We stand by her. Our comparative judging system has five criteria. Her level was perhaps not as high as the other competitors, but that doesn’t mean she performed poorly. She did her best," they added.
There's a positive side to going viral as one expert believes that the Aussie star could make "millions" after her performance.
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