Raygun Addresses Online Backlash in New Netflix Documentary Untold Raygun

Breakdancer Rachael “Raygun” Gunn is confronting the intense global scrutiny that followed her appearance at the 2024 Summer Olympic games through a new streaming project.

Behind the Scenes of an Olympic Firestorm at Place de la Concorde

On August 9, 2024, Gunn stepped to the stage at Paris’ Place de la Concorde representing her home country Australia in emerald and yellow. After battling competitors from America, France and Lithuania, Gunn didn’t earn a single vote from judges across her six rounds. Her routine—incorporating unique movements like the sprinkler and kangaroo hops—quickly went viral, sparking memes, late-night TV segments, several conspiracy theories, and even a musical at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

Despite walking away without a single vote, Flix, a fellow Australian B-girl, says in the documentary, She became the most famous breaker on planet Earth overnight. While media attention soared, the fallout carried a heavy personal cost.

“When I was the topic of so many conversations around the world, there was bullying, there was misinformation, there was harassment. My whole credibility, mine and my partner Sammy’s, was thrown into the mix. There were some really tough times in there, but it’s been really nice that in the documentary we get to address a lot of those things that people misunderstood.”

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Rachael Gunn, breakdancer

Navigating Panic, Imposter Syndrome, and Online Misinformation

The documentary explores the intense psychological toll Gunn experienced while walking through the Olympic Village. Early in Netflix’s new documentary, Australian B-girl Rachael Gunn recounts a session she had with her sports psychologist prior to the 2024 Paris Olympics. Right before the Olympics, I went to my therapist, panicked, she says. Her therapist asked her what was the worst thing that could happen. And she said, The whole world could laugh at me. Her therapist responded: Do you think that’s reasonable? Cue Gunn’s hysterical laughter.

I was so nervous all the way through and so petrified that I was almost liberated a little bit on the day, because it was like all the prep, it's done, Gunn, who turns 39 in September, tells USA TODAY in an interview. Today's it. You kind of leave it all on the table.

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That anxiety materialized into a wave of public criticism, including allegations that her husband, fellow breakdancer Samuel Free, helped her qualify for the Games. In actuality, a panel of international judges evaluated the Olympic qualifier.

Cultural Context and Perspectives from the Breaking Community

Breaking made its historic debut as an Olympic sport in Paris, bringing an art form created by Black and Brown youth in the South Bronx onto the global athletic stage. TODAY featured a segment on Rachael Gunn, noting that the film unpacks the moves that captured public fascination and explores how the moment escalated into one of the most discussed storylines of the Olympics.

However, the documentary really doesn’t dwell on what it means for breaking that its first Olympic foray will be primarily remembered for a white woman from Australia doing the sprinkler instead of the dynamic performances of the rest of the contenders. It’s mostly focused on Gunn herself with little time spent on the greater context of the art form and how it ended up in the Olympics. The documentary features interviews with Gunn, her parents, her husband who introduced her to breaking, and a few dancers who know her from the Aussie scene. Through them, we get a coming of almost middle-age story about an academic who meets a B-boy working at a call center, falls in love with him and the art form he’s passionate about, and somehow ends up centerstage at the Olympics.

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Returning to the Dance Floor and Building Resiliency

Gunn is likeable in the documentary, coming across as mostly self-aware and self-deprecating. Her parents are charming, laughing heartily when asked if they had ever previously associated “Olympian” with their quirky daughter. Sammy Free seems like a supportive partner through the ordeal.

Gunn, 39 in September, is happy to have the chance to tell her side of the story in Untold Raygun: Breaking Badly, following resulting “misinformation” and “bullying.” Gunn says this experience has strengthened her resiliency.

You can't be scared to live your life, she says. You just can’t.