Raygun has done the one thing that I could never

Australian breakdancer Rachael Gunn has done something amazing that I've never been able to achieve.

Watching her documentary on Netflix, I realised that for all the negativity, she's done one thing successfully that many people are envious of.

I know the point of Raygunn: Breaking Badly, was to look at the Olympian's life before and after her performance at the 2024 Paris games, her failure to score even one point, and the international mockery that followed.

But one of my many talents is to make things about me, and I couldn't help noticing this one aspect of Raygun's life I've never had success in.

And it's a huge lesson for women everywhere - including me.

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Raygunn knows she's won. Image: Instagram

Raygun's husband Sammy Free

I wasn't expecting to hear from Gunn's husband in the doco, but he features a lot, and is pretty much the only glorious part of what's otherwise quite an uncomfortable story.

Samuel Free has been married to the breakdancer since 2018. He works as a psycho-social support person for people with psychological disabilities, and he's also a break dancing coach.

He's also his wife's biggest champion.

The way he supports her is remarkable.

About her routine which failed to score any points, he says things like, “I was struck by the beauty of her performance.”

“It was the essence of creativity.”

“It was the best performance I'd seen her do.”

“I'm glad I got to witness that.”

He believes in her, respects her, is amazed by her.

In a time when misogyny seems to be actually getting worse, it's really a joy to watch.

@laurelbayinc Just to be clear, I’m not making fun of Raygun or Sammy. I just love how much he loves and supports his wife. May we all find someone who cheers us on like this! #raygun #breakingbadly #netflix #humour #documentary ♬ original sound - laurelbay

“Manifesting a husband that thinks everything I do is groundbreaking.”

I'm not the only one who's noticed this, either. Raygun's wise choice is being discussed all over social media.

This viral TikTok is one example. It's a clip of Free's best moments in the doco, with text over which reads: “Manifesting a husband that thinks everything I do is groundbreaking.”

The creator adds, "Just to be clear, I’m not making fun of Raygun or Sammy. I just love how much he loves and supports his wife. 

“May we all find someone who cheers us on like this!”

Even though I was married to a man I loved, I still haven't found that. In contrast, here's a couple of crushing things my husband of the time said to me.

When I was pregnant, he announced to a group of my friends, “She's never going to be able to do it. She'll crumble in labour. They'll have to sedate her.”

Another example of how he didn't support me was when I told him I wanted to be in media.

“You don't have the voice or face for it.”

Yet here I am, living my dream for the past decade.

I was young and in love and should absolutely have wanted better for myself.

I deserved better. Everyone does.

So while Raygun the persona attracts a lot of negativity, Gunn herself can teach us something very important about life.

Something I got very wrong.

When you're choosing a partner, choose someone who's your friend, advocate, and believes in the person you are. And if you can't find the standard you deserve, just remember it is out there.

Raygun and Sammy are clearly evidence it's possible.