Olympian Rachael "Raygun" Gunn has retired from breaking, citing the extreme reaction to her much-ridiculed Paris 2024 performance as the main reason for giving the sport away.
"I still break, but I don't compete. I'm not going to compete any more. No. No," Gunn told 2DayFM on Thursday.
"I was going to keep competing, for sure, but that seems really difficult for me to do now to approach a battle."
Gunn, who has a PhD in gender studies and cultural studies related to breakdancing, faced widespread criticism and bullying after scoring no points in her Paris battles at the Place de la Concord.
"It's been really upsetting. I just didn't have any control over how people saw me or who I was," Gunn said.
"Dancing is so much fun, and it makes you feel good. I don't think people should feel crap about the way that they dance.
"If you get out there, and you have fun on the dance floor, then just own it."
Gunn's unique performance in Paris was fiercely criticised, with some suggesting she was mocking the culture of breaking.
The much-memed performance even led to conspiracy theories about how she was selected in the first place.
Some internet trolls suggested that her husband and coach, Samuel Free, had somehow manufactured her selection to the Australian team, with a petition on change.com demanding immediate transparency on her selection.
The Australian Olympic Committee and AUSBreaking both refuted those accusations, describing the petition as "vexatious, misleading and bullying".
Rachael "Raygun" Gunn became the unlikely face of the Paris Olympics. (AAP Image: Dan Himbrechts)
Australian chef de mission Anna Meares gave an emotional press conference where she slammed the misogynistic tone of the criticism, praising the courage of Gunn.
"Look, it's surreal," Gunn said.
"It's still impossible to process. The conspiracy theories were totally wild.
"But I just try and stay on the positives and that's what gets me through. The people that have like [said], you have inspired me to go out there and do something that I've been too shy to do. You've brought joy, you've brought laughter. You know, we're so proud of you.
"And just like really f***ing lovely things that people have written and that is just what I hold on to."
Gunn was ranked the number one female breaker in Oceania, winning the Oceania championships in October 2023 to earn her spot in the Games.
Breaking made its Olympic debut in Paris, but was not included on the program for the next Games in Los Angeles, 2028.
Even if it had been, Gunn said she would not consider another bid at the Games.