Rachael Gunn, known in the breaking community as Raygun, experienced a panic attack hours before representing Australia at the Paris 2024 Olympic opening ceremony, as revealed in a Netflix documentary about her Olympic journey. Breaking, a street dance style that involves acrobatic moves and battles between competitors, is now an official Olympic sport. Gunn, a 38-year-old university lecturer with a background in breaking, described feeling like an imposter when she realized the high level of competition at the Games. She had qualified to represent Australia via the Oceania Breaking Championships in Sydney in 2023 and began training with a scholarship at the New South Wales Institute of Sport in February 2024. However, she found the training environment overwhelming, as she was training with athletes who had been involved in sports since childhood. Gunn's Olympic journey was brief, as she failed to win any of her three round-robin battles at the Games. Despite this, she expressed satisfaction with her performance, noting that she received praise from world champion Nicka Banevic and the event's MC. One of her performances, which included unconventional moves such as a sprinkler and a kangaroo hop, went viral and led to widespread attention, including mentions on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, a reference by Adele in her concerts, and support from actor Chris Hemsworth. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese also praised Gunn for "having a crack." However, Gunn faced conspiracy theories about nepotism, including claims that her husband and trainer, Samuel Free, had been on the selection committee when she qualified to represent Australia, which was later debunked. These allegations, along with the public scrutiny, took a toll on Gunn's mental health, leading her to begin a course of antidepressants. She described feeling like her life was crumbling and struggled to get through each day. Gunn's documentary also revealed that her mother suffered three brain aneurysms during her training period. In the film, she explained that she decided to focus on her creative strengths rather than athletic competition, developing a routine that paid homage to her Australian roots. She acknowledged that she was aware she would not beat her competitors on athleticism but believed that creativity could be a key factor in the competition. The head of the Australian Breaking Association, Lowe Napalan, only assisted Gunn's training a handful of times due to administrative responsibilities and only saw her controversial routine just before her Olympic performance. Despite the controversy, Gunn clarified that reports of her quitting breaking were incorrect. She stated that she would not let the events take dancing away from her and remains committed to the breaking community. Gunn hopes the release of the documentary will help shift the conversation and looks forward to the future. For those needing support with mental health, details of organizations offering help are available at bbc.co.uk/actionline.