Raygun Finally Breaks Her Silence With a Defiant Defense of Her Legendary Olympic Performance
In a world of over 7 billion people, there are a going to be a lot of great athletes. But precious few of them can rise above the maddening crowd and distinguish themselves as true icons. To cross over into mainstream culture and become part of the zeitgeist.
Think about it. The Paris Games have been over for weeks. But how many of the competitors do you really remember? Even the Pole Vaulter who knocked the bar off with his massive dong faded from memory after the dick jokes ran their course. I bet there's not a person among us who would recognize him if he passed us on the street, so long as he was wearing Comfort Fit jeans.
And yet, here we are in September, and the legend of Raygun continues to echo around the world:
This clip is over 3.1 million views, which I bet is more than Jimmy Fallon normally gets in a week of shows:
In essence, Raygun single handedly put her noble, time-honored, but underappreciated sport and put it on the map. She struck a chord in the hearts of billions and turned breakdancing into an international touchstone.
And now she's finally come forward to speak publicly about all she has accomplished:
NBC - Australian Olympian Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has apologized to the breaking community for the backlash caused by her controversial performance at the Paris Games, but insisted that her “record speaks” to her being her country's best B-girl. …
Gunn said it was “really sad to hear those criticisms,” in her first interview since she her performance made international headlines with “The Project,” a TV show on Australia’s Network 10. …
“I am very sorry for the backlash that the community has experienced, but I can’t control how people react,” she said.
Asked whether she genuinely believed she is the best female breaker in Australia, she replied: “I think my record speaks to that.” …
She added that while she “had fun” in Paris, “I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly.”
The traditional news outlets are all leaning into the "apologizes" angle. But read her comments again. What she really delivers here is the ultimate "Sorry, not sorry."
It takes a big woman to admit when she's done something wrong. But it takes a mouse to apologize for doing everything right, just because some didn't appreciate it. Feck off, haters. She did something no one else could have. She got the whole world talking about a niche sport about a dozen people even knew was in the Olympics. She's selling green and yellow sweatsuits and ball caps by the tens of thousands. Inspiring people around the globe to come together and try to be like her. In peace and harmony, I hasten to add. Because that is what the Olympic Ideal is supposed to be.
So no. You'll get no apology out of her. Instead, she deserves a collective "I'm sorry" from all of humanity. At least the ones too ignorant to appreciate the gift she has given us. So on behalf of the human race, let me express both our deepest regret and our sincerest gratitude to our Queen. May her star never fade and her fame only grow with time.