It has been reported that Rachael “Raygun” Gun will not be joining the other Olympic athletes when they return home.
Instead, the Australian will reportedly be going on a vacation in Europe.
According to 2GB, she might be spending some time with her parents and husband Samuel Free.
The eccentric and unexpected performance of Raygun during the Paris Olympics caught global attention. Even though she failed to get a single vote from the judges, her participation in the competition has garnered both admiration and controversy in her home country.
As Raygun continues to live in Europe, the other members of Australia’s Olympic team got a hero’s welcome upon their return to Sydney on Wednesday morning. Due to her controversial and highly-publicized performance during the Games, she has been widely criticized and trolled. Despite this, the establishment rallied around Raygun, who is a 36-year-old cultural studies lecturer.
According to Martin Gilian, the head judge of the breaking competition, the entire community supports Raygun. He said she did well because she brought something new to the table that was representative of her region or country. However, he noted that her performance didn’t necessarily reflect poorly on her.
Raygun did well in the Oceania qualifier. According to Anna Meares, the chef de mission of the Olympic team, she is a courageous individual who is loved by everyone in the team. She also expressed her disappointment with how she has been criticized.
Anna Meares stated that she loved Raygun’s enthusiasm and courage, and she was disappointed that she had been subjected to such negative criticism. She noted that it took Raygun a lot of courage to continue competing in the Olympics.
Raygun cried during the 2008 Olympics when she was forced to participate in a predominantly male sport, Meares noted. During the closing ceremony, she was embraced by her teammates. Also, over the weekend, Anthony Albanese supported Raygun.
The Prime Minister of Australia praised Raygun for showing courage and expressing herself in a way that is representative of the country. The members of the Olympic team were greeted by a huge crowd upon their arrival at Sydney Airport. The Qantas choir provided the athletes with a warm welcome as they exited the plane.
The members of the Australian team were able to set a record by winning the most gold medals during the Olympics. One of the returning athletes was Kaylee McKeown, a swimming star. She said that although she experienced various pinch-me moments during the Games, being presented with the Australian flag was one of the most memorable experiences of her life.
Raygun was greeted by her brothers, Bailey and Lachlan Carter. They had traveled all the way from Australia to cheer her on during the Olympics. They were thrilled to welcome her home and were dressed in gold.