Camryn Bynum showed on Sunday he has some “Raygun” inside of him. The Minnesota Vikings safety hilariously mimicked the often mocked Australian Olympian, by performing his version of her infamous break dance performance versus the Jacksonville Jaguars.
Turns out the breakdancer herself approves of Bynum’s celebration following the victory. “Raygun,” whose real name is Rachel Gunn, shared with TMZ Sports Wednesday her reaction to the interception celebration.
“Finishing with the kangaroo. Teammates got involved, crowds cheering, that’s a celebration,” Gunn said.
Bynum picked off Jaguars backup quarterback Mac Jones with under two minutes to play. He completed the takeaway inside the Jacksonville end zone. Afterward, he posted “gold medal game winner” on his X (formerly known as Twitter) page.
Bynum now has three interceptions on the season, which puts him second on Minnesota behind cornerback Byron Murphy Jr.
The 37-year-old break dancer became the subject of ridicule during and after the August games in Paris. She was a popular internet meme and gif but also admitted she received backlash for her performance. She addressed the hate on Aug. 15 after her performance dominated the news.
“I didn’t realize that would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating. While I went out there and I had fun, I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics, and I gave my all, truly,” Gunn said. She also encouraged fans to stop harassing her, the Australian breaking community, plus her family and friends.
Bynum’s celebration conjured memories of Gunn’s performance. Does that mean the Vikings defender is a closet fan of her?
Vikings’ Camryn Bynum reveals reason behind Raygun celebration
Bynum is the first NFL player to reveal he’s indeed a fan of the Olympian. So much so, he even studied her moves before going “Raygun” on the Jaguars.
“I memorized it and studied her,” Bynum shared with TMZ.
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The 26-year-old defensive back added he had to “memorize the dance” as a way to celebrate one of his interceptions.
“I had to do it. I’m excited about the catch and the interception, but my biggest thing was to get that celebration off, and I got it, and I’m happy,” Bynum said.
The now fourth-year Vikings safety even laid out this future idea: Him challenging Gunn herself to a dance battle. But that would have to happen after the season.
Meanwhile, Bynum’s pick sealed Minnesota’s seventh victory of the season. The Vikings remain one game back behind the NFC North leading Detroit Lions. Minnesota also shares the NFC’s second-best record with the Philadelphia Eagles. They’re also one of three teams in the conference along with the Washington Commanders to have won seven games so far in 2024 (the Commanders own a 7-3 record).
Bynum and the Vikings will travel to Nashville Sunday to take on the Tennessee Titans in an interconference showdown.