Australian Olympic breakdancer Rachael ‘Raygun‘ Gunn admitted to having “mixed feelings” about Jimmy Fallon’s parody of her routine.
Raygun became an overnight sensation after she whipped out the sprinkler and some kangaroo-style moves during the breakdancing event at the Paris 2024 Olympics.
The performance scored her zeros across the board and even saw The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon mocking Raygun’s moves.
During her first official interview since her Paris Olympics saga, Raygun reflected on the skit in a one-on-one chat with Waleed Aly.
“I don’t know whether to, like, hug him or yell at him! Because what a platform he ended up giving me, like, honestly,” she said during the September 4 episode of The Project.
“I haven’t actually seen the sketch ’cause I don’t think I’m in a place yet to watch it, but I will watch it at some point,” Raygun continued.
“And, you know, a few different people have kind of explained it to me and given me different takes on it.”
“But I’m still in the process of being able to describe how I feel about all this stuff because it kind of feels like a really weird dream that I’ve been having that I’m gonna wake up from at any moment. Like, what is life right now?!”
What was the reaction to Raygun’s Olympic breakdance?
Raygun received mixed reactions to her bizarre breakdown routine; some were in favour of her positive and creative attitude, while others accused her of taking the spot from other talented breakdancers.
The Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised Raygun’s efforts at the games.
“The Olympics is about people participating in sport – that’s a good thing. And Raygun had a crack, good on her, and a big shout-out to her,” he said during a press conference.
That is in the Australian tradition of people having a go. She’s had a go representing our country and that’s a good thing.”
Meanwhile, podcaster and internet personality Hannah Berrelli had a completely different opinion.
“Her little stunt diminishes Australia on the world stage. Hundreds of Australian athletes who will have dedicated their entire lives to athletic excellence will be forgotten because Rachael wanted to bulk up her ResearchGate profile,” Hannah wrote in a lengthy X post.
She continued, “Rather than their medals and efforts, this is what Australia will be remembered for.”
During The Project interview, Raygun responded to the criticism she received over her Olympic performance.
“It is really sad to hear those criticisms,” she said. “I am very sorry for, you know, the backlash that the community has experienced. But I can’t control how people react.”
Despite the negativity, Raygun’s certainly a woman in demand since her baffling Olympic performance. She’s already locked in a talent agent, and it’s rumoured that she’s been eyed off for the next season of I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here.
Stream the September 4 episode of The Project featuring Raygun’s world-exclusive interview on 10Play.
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