BRISBANE, Australia — For Australian pop star Rachael Gunn, it was a polarizing performance at the Olympics, then panic as she was chased through the streets of Paris.

The 37-year-old Sydney university lecturer, whose birthday falls on Monday, stunned both experts and casual viewers of the sport of breakdancing with an unconventional routine that included imitating a kangaroo.

Breaking was contested for the first time at the Olympic Games. And it could be a one-off bout, not scheduled for the Olympic program for Los Angeles in 2028 or Brisbane, Australia in 2032.

“Raygun,” as she was nicknamed, was later ridiculed on social media, with some posts even questioning the Olympic qualifying process.

In a television interview with The Project on Australia’s Channel 10, she spoke about having cameras chase her through the streets of Paris and how she dealt with the very public backlash to her performance.

“It was really crazy,” she said in rare public comments since the incident. “If people are chasing me, what am I supposed to do? It really put me in a panic. I was nervous to go out in public. It was pretty nerve-racking for a while.”

She apologised for the confusion but again defended her performance and said she was grateful for the support from others in the sports world.

“It’s really sad to hear the criticism,” she said. “I’m really sorry for the reaction the community has had, but I can’t control people’s reactions. The energy and the venom 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 reflects that.”

She had previously defended her qualifications for Paris and repeated this on the television programme.

“I won the Oceania Championships. It was a direct qualifier,” Gunn said. “There were nine judges, all foreign. I knew my chances were slim as soon as I qualified” for the Olympics.

“People didn’t understand the break and were just furious with my performance,” she added. “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.”

Gunn’s performance was mocked online and on television, including in a sketch on Jimmy Fallon’s TV show.

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

Gunn said she is otherwise trying to cope a month later with therapy.

“I definitely have my ups and downs, good days and bad days,” she said. “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.”

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AP Paris Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games