Netflix has announced a one-off special chronicling the rise of controversial Australian Olympian, Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn.

The documentary, titled Raygun: Breaking Badly, promises an intimate look at the woman behind one of the most polarising sporting moments in recent history.

The 38-year-old’s viral breakdancing performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics instantly set the internet ablaze, catapulting the academic into global headlines and turning her into an unlikely household name.

But while millions were sharing clips and cracking jokes online, a darker side soon emerged.

According to the documentary synopsis, Gunn found herself at the centre of an ‘avalanche of memes, misinformation and conspiracy theories’ questioning how she qualified for the Games in the first place.

‘Nobody, least of all Rachael Gunn, expected to be an Olympian,’ it reads.

Netflix has announced a one-off special chronicling the rise of controversial Australian Olympian, Rachael ‘Raygun’ Gunn 

‘But as Raygun’s performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics went viral overnight, so did an avalanche of memes, misinformation and conspiracy theories questioning how she ever got there.’

The film revisits the fallout from her Olympic appearance and examines the intense scrutiny that followed as her every move became the subject of online debate.

Produced by Stardust Frames Production and Warner Bros. International Television Australia, the documentary will offer viewers unprecedented access to Gunn’s personal journey as she navigates sudden fame and worldwide criticism. 

The Netflix announcement comes months after the news emerged that Raygun had accepted a voluntary redundancy from her academic role at Macquarie University because she could see ‘the writing on the wall’.

Gunn spoke publicly about leaving the university in April and said her departure, which was reportedly part of a broader wave of redundancies at the institution, points to a larger problem in Australia. 

‘We need to have a serious conversation about higher education in this country,’ she told the Sydney Morning Herald at the time.

Gunn added that she is troubled by the experience being provided to Australian university students, the challenges facing staff and the level of spending on executive pay, consultants and infrastructure in tertiary education. 

‘I’m very worried for my colleagues. I don’t think that things are getting better for them,’ she said. 

The documentary forms part of Netflix’s acclaimed UNTOLD series

Raygun’s viral breakdancing performance at the 2024 Paris Olympics instantly set the internet ablaze, catapulting the academic into global headlines and turning her into an unlikely household name

She confirmed that she accepted the voluntary redundancy in February after first attending Macquarie when she was 18 years old.

Gunn, who has a bachelor of arts with honours, completed the thesis for her PhD on the gender politics of Sydney’s breakdancing culture in 2017.

She has written publications including ‘Nocturnal Paradox: How Breakdancing Reveals the Potentials of the Night’ and ‘Negotiating and Challenging Gender Assumptions in Sydney’s Breakdancing Scene’. 

Many Aussies were left fuming when they discovered she received taxpayer funding to study the dance form.

Queensland Senator Gerard Rennick quoted Raygun’s official Macquarie University profile in a Facebook post after she went viral and wrote, ‘In the same way breakdancing doesn’t belong in the Olympics it’s fair to say taxpayers shouldn’t be subsidising Universities to study or teach it.’

Senator Rennick’s post attracted thousands of comments criticising the university and other tertiary institutions for what commenters described as wasteful spending on studies they considered frivolous. 

The Netflix announcement comes months after the news emerged that Raygun had accepted a voluntary redundancy from her academic role at Macquarie University

While Gunn’s specifics had not been made public at the time, PhD students like the breakdancer can get up to $56,000 per year in tax-free government funding. 

That includes living stipends of up to $35,000 per year, plus an additional top-up scholarship of approximately $21,000 per year.

Raygun launched her official website hours after news of her departure from Macquarie University became public. 

On it, she describes herself as a ‘speaker, host, conversation starter’ who is available for events, brand collaborations and interviews.

‘Planning an event, workshop or collaboration? Rachael is available in-person or virtually, across Australia and internationally,’ the site states.

She also details some of her work outside academia, including appearances at an education fundraiser, an International Women’s Day event, a Lifeline backyard cricket fundraiser and a Tones And I concert.

Raygun: Breaking Badly premieres September 1 on Netflix