A little over a week after her headline-grabbing appearance at the Olympics, Rachael “Raygun” Gunn has been avoiding the spotlight while reportedly spending time with her family.
But as the 36-year-old deals with relentless backlash over her performance, Rachael has been supported every step of the way by her biggest fan, husband and coach Samuel Free, 39.
“He had this unending belief in me, which makes me feel I can do anything,” she says.
Samuel introduced the Macquarie University lecturer to breaking shortly after they became a couple in 2008.
“He was so encouraging, always telling me I was doing great,” Rachael said in the lead-up to the Paris Games.
The pair love breaking so much, they even performed some moves at their wedding in 2018 with the encouragement of their friends.
Husband & coach
Samuel says they were both jumping for joy when Rachael qualified for Paris 2024 in February this year.
“Rachael was the top woman in Australia and I could probably have qualified,” Samuel says.
“But I made the difficult but pragmatic decision to put my skills to use as a team coach instead.”
Also coming to Rachael’s defence was her father-in-law Andrew Free, who’s criticised the judges’ decision to give her zero points.
“It was a pretty stacked competition and the judges were clearly looking for a certain style of breaking which is not Rachael’s,” he shares.
But like many who are supporting her can-do attitude, he’s proud of Rachael’s spirit.
“She was up against it,” he says. “The main thing is she represented Australia and breaking at the Olympics with courage and dignity.”
Gold medal winner Jessica Fox last week shared how the Aussie team was supporting Rachael as she dealt with brutal criticism about her dancing.
“I did speak to her – it is devastating for her,” Jess said. “To see the toll… People are so quick to be awful. She doesn’t deserve that. She’s a valued member of our team.”
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