For Australian singer Rachael Gunn, the fallout from her controversial Olympic performance was both unsettling and surreal as she was chased through the streets of Paris.

The 37-year-old Sydney university lecturer — who celebrated her birthday on Monday — stunned both experts and casual viewers of the breaking community with her unconventional performance, which included imitating a kangaroo. Breaking has made its Olympic debut, but its future seems uncertain, with no plans to include it in the 2028 Los Angeles Games or the 2032 Brisbane Games.

TRUSTED PARTNER ✅

Known by her stage name “Raygun,” Gunn faced a social media attack after her performance, with critics questioning the Olympic qualifying process. In a rare public appearance on The Project on Channel 10 in Australia, she spoke about her harrowing experiences in Paris.

“It was really crazy,” Gunn said. “If people are chasing me, what am I supposed to do? It really put me in a panic. I was nervous about going out in public. It was pretty nerve-racking for a while.”

Despite the negative reactions, Gunn apologized for the confusion and defended her show, expressing gratitude for the support she has received from others in the sports world.

“It’s really sad to hear the criticism,” she lamented. “I’m really sorry for the reaction the community has had, but I can’t control people’s reactions. The energy and the vitriol that people had was pretty alarming. Even though I went out there and had fun, I took it very seriously. I worked hard to prepare for the Olympics and I gave it my all, I really did. I think my record speaks to that.”

Gunn also explained the rationale behind her qualification for Paris, citing her victory at the Oceania Championships, which was a direct qualifier involving nine international judges.

“People didn’t understand the break and were just mad at my performance,” she said. “The conspiracy theories were just awful and it was really annoying. People are now attacking our reputation and our integrity — none of it was based on fact.”

Her performance even became the subject of late-night television, including a sketch on the Jimmy Fallon show.

“I don’t know if I should hug him or yell at him because of the platform he gave me,” Gunn noted. “I don’t think I’ll be able to watch it, but I’ll watch it at some point.”

Since the incident, Gunn has been coping with the aftershocks with the support of therapy.

“I definitely have my ups and downs, good days and bad days,” she admitted. “It was amazing to see the positive reactions to my performance. I never thought I would be able to connect with so many people in a positive way… but it was definitely tough at times. Luckily, I got mental health support pretty quickly.”