Viral breaker Raygun explains her comments on withdrawing from the breaking space

Australian dancer Raygun is speaking out after declaring she will no longer compete in breaking style, the improvised dance style that enjoyed a breakthrough at the 2024 Olympics.

Raygun, whose real name is Rachael Gunn, caused a stir after competing in the women’s breaking competition in Paris this summer and was ridiculed online for her performance.

The 37-year-old B-Girl appeared on The Jimmy & Nath Show on November 5 and talked about whether she would compete in the Olympics again in four years, although the topic of “breaking” the 2028 Olympics is not on the list List of games is available.

“I would still break, but I won’t compete anymore,” she said. “I definitely wanted to keep competing, but that seems really difficult now, approaching a fight… I mean, I still dance and I still take breaks, but it’s like in my living room with my .”Partner.”

She argued that there would be a “level of control” in future competitions that had not been the case in the past.

“People will film it and it will go online, and it just won’t mean the same,” she said. “It won’t be the same experience because everything is at stake.”

Following the interview, she appeared on Australia’s The Project on November 7 to clarify her comments.

“I’ve talked about competing, and yeah, I don’t really see myself competing anymore. And then, something like ‘Global News: Ray Gun is retiring,’ and it just got a little out of control,” she said.

Raygun then joked that it was actually retiring Australian news anchor Ray Hadley, who coincidentally announced his retirement on November 6th.

“Raygun is not retiring,” she said. “But I think, I mean, because it’s different in breaking culture, I’ll still dance, and I said that in the interview. I’ll still dance, I’ll still go to community jams. I’ll probably still go and dance and attend a community jam, things like that.”

“But in terms of these elite competitions and the Olympics, which, by the way, breaking isn’t even in the next Olympics, it’s become a really big deal today,” she added.

The decision not to include breaking in the 2028 Olympics was actually made in 2022, when the International Olympic Committee announced that 28 sports had been accepted for the LA Games – leaving breaking off the list.

In 2023, five additional sports that did not require braking were approved.

The World DanceSport Federation, the breaking sport’s governing body, released a statement ahead of the Paris Games in October 2023.

“While the WDSF is deeply disappointed by the LA28 decision, it is proud of everything it has achieved together with the breaking community in an extremely short period of time,” the association said, citing the organization’s “strong” relationship with the IOC .

The WDSF added it is working to ensure breaking is included in the 2032 Olympics in Brisbane, Australia.

A spokesman for the LA28 Olympic and Paralympic Games told TODAY.com in August that the decision not to include breaking was “made with great consideration and utmost respect for the sport, its athletes and fans.”

“While LA28 recognizes the value that breaking can have for the Olympic movement, we ultimately proposed a holistic and balanced package of new sports that prioritizes the opportunity to showcase distinctively American sports alongside influential global sports,” the said Speaker.

“LA28’s Olympic sports offering also highlights the unique opportunity to partner with major professional leagues while providing a platform for new sports and new athlete communities to compete on the global stage in 2028,” the spokesperson added.

While speaking about The Project, Raygun thanked her fans who sent her kind messages about her exit from the sport, but stressed, “I’m still doing it.”