‘You have to really put yourself in her shoes’: Olympian reveals what happened when Raygun returned to the athletes’ village after viral breakdancer’s disastrous Paris performance | HO

Ariarne Titmus has lifted the lid on the reception Raygun received when she returned to the Olympic village following her woeful breakdancing performance.

Rachael Gunn became the biggest story at the Olympics when she failed to score a point from the judges for her routines in the inaugural women’s competition, which saw her mimic a kangaroo and pull off a dance move called the sprinkler.

She has since been ruthlessly mocked online and has chosen not to return to Australia with her teammates given the decisive response to her performance back home.

But a number of high-profile figures, including Anthony Albanese and Jess Fox, have come out to support the 36-year-old university lecturer, with many giving her credit for putting her best foot forward during the competition.

The AOC have also angrily smashed an online petition which called for an inquiry into the selection process that led to Raygun representing Australia on the world stage.

And swimming champion Titmus, speaking on The Project on Thursday night, expressed her sympathy for Raygun and shared how the Aussies got around her back at the village amid the online onslaught.

‘I am one of her, we’re all teammates,’ she said. ‘You have to really put yourself in her shoes.

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‘Regardless of the circumstances , bullying is not OK, you just don’t want that for anyone. I really hope she is OK, it’s crazy how much this has stirred everyone up. I really cant believe it.’

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Ariarne Titmus has shared how the Aussie Olympics team got around Raygun

Rachael Gunn scored zero points in her breakdancing routine that has since gone viral

Reflecting on the atmosphere among the team after Raygun came back to the athlete hub, she said: ‘It was unreal. We made a circle for her, we were having dance battles, we were all getting around her.

‘We’re the Australian team and she is an Australian Olympian so we got around her. I think she will probably be doing it tough at the moment so I hope she is OK.’

Almost 50,000 people have signed the change.org petition calling for a public apology since it was created on Monday.

It calls for ‘immediate accountability and transparency in the recent actions’ of Gunn and Paris chef de mission Anna Meares over how Gunn won selection to represent Australia in Paris.

The call to action accuses the 36-year-old of ‘manipulating the selection process to her own advantage’ so she could be chosen above more talented Aussie female breakers – an allegation described as ‘raising serious questions about the fairness and integrity of the process’.

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Titmus says the Aussie Olympians welcomed her with open arms when she returned to the village in Paris

No evidence has been provided to back up the petition’s claims.

AOC boss Matt Carroll said the petition, which demands a public apology from Gunn and Meares, is ‘appalling’ and has ‘no factual basis’.

Carroll said the petition was an ‘affront’ to Meares, who had no role in overseeing the nomination of Olympic athletes to the AOC selection committee or in the qualification events for different sports.

He also said it ‘stirred up public hatred’ against Gunn and the AOC had written to change.org demanding the petition’s immediate removal.