When a Breaking Routine Sparks a National Reckoning
Australian Story returns to ABC on Monday 23 June at 8PM with The Raygun Phenomenon, a provocative deep-dive into one of the most divisive moments of the Paris Olympics. At the centre is Rachael Gunn—alias “Raygun”—and the breaking routine that transformed her from Olympic hopeful to headline flashpoint.
This isn’t a redemption arc or a puff piece. Gunn declined to participate. Instead, the episode interrogates the moment her kangaroo-hop-and-sprinkler routine ignited outrage, derision, and a wave of commentary stretching from Western Sydney to the Bronx. For a sport making its Olympic debut, it was a cultural collision as much as a performance controversy—and Australian Story is asking the bigger questions.
Structured around interviews with journalists, cultural critics, and early breaking pioneers—including New York’s Michael Holman, who brands Gunn’s act “a loaded gun”—this edition explores why her performance struck such a nerve. Was it poor taste? A clash of values? Or simply a national discomfort with what passes for pride on the world stage?
It’s not just the choreography under scrutiny. When comedian Stephanie Broadbridge’s satirical musical take on “Raygun” was legally quashed by Gunn’s team, the backlash became a new chapter in the saga. As the episode lays out, Gunn’s legal manoeuvres didn’t just silence a parody—they alienated early supporters and reignited debate about how Australia handles criticism in the age of virality.
What gives this Australian Story its bite is the sharpness of its focus. This is less about Gunn’s intent and more about the ripple effect—how one performance became a mirror for national identity, creative licence, and the sometimes brittle intersection of sport and cultural ownership. It doesn’t try to tidy up the mess, but it does capture the heat.
Australian Story: The Raygun Phenomenon airs Monday 23 June at 8PM on ABC and streams on ABC iview.
