Controversial Australian Olympian Rachael “Raygun” Gunn will make a public apology in her first TV interview since she became a sensation in Paris.

Gunn, who went viral after her performance at last month’s Olympic Games, has sat down with The Project‘s Waleed Aly for an extended interview.

It follows the 37-year-old’s efforts in Paris, where she represented Australia as breaking made its Olympic debut.

Gunn attracted global attention for her performance – which included jumping like a kangaroo, slithering like a snake, and even busting out the “sprinkler”.

“It is really sad to hear those criticisms,” she tells Aly in a trailer released by The Project.

“I am very sorry for the backlash that the [breakdancing] community has experienced, but I can’t control how people react.”

Gunn lost all three of her round-robin battles in Paris by a combined score of 54-0, prompting a hostile response to her performance and appearance online and in some mainstream media.

Asked by Aly if she “genuinely” believed she was the “best female breaker in Australia”, Gunn gives a casual shrug.

“I think my record speaks to that,” she says.

Elsewhere, Gunn, a Macquarie University academic who researches the cultural politics of breaking, reveals how she was chased down the street by journalists in the fallout from her performance.

“That was really wild,” she says.

“If people are chasing me, what do I do? But that really did put me in a state of panic.”

Gunn also released a statement as the backlash from Paris was at its height, calling for an end to the harassment of “family, my friends, the Australian breaking community, and the broader street dance community”.

“Everyone has been through a lot as a result of this so I ask you to please respect their privacy,” she said at the time.

Her video statement, released via social media, came soon after the Australian Olympic Committee slammed an online petition attacking her as “vexatious, misleading and bullying”.

More than 40,000 people have signed an anonymous Change.org petition claiming Gunn had “manipulated” Olympic qualification processes after the breakdancer went viral for her no-points display at the recent Paris Games.

Gunn referred people to the AOC statement, which refutes those allegations, in her Instagram post.

She thanked supporters but added she did not realise her entry “would also open the door to so much hate, which has frankly been pretty devastating.

“While I went out there and had fun, I did take it very seriously. I worked my butt off preparing for the Olympics and I gave my all, truly.”

Gunn stayed in Europe for several weeks after the Games, saying in her first statement she would “be happy to answer more questions on my return to Australia”.

Wednesday night’s interview comes amid speculation she has a future in television. Multiple reports suggest Australia’s major TV networks – Seven, Nine and Ten – are competing for her signature.

“The future of one of the world’s most talked-about Australians, Raygun, is currently being negotiated, with multiple TV offers on the table,” a television insider told Yahoo Lifestyle.

“They are seeking exclusive network deals that could last 12 to 24 months, blocking out other opportunities from competing programming.

“The TV networks don’t want to share her either.”

Her appearance on The Project also follows a surprise cameo video message at the Logies a fortnight ago.

“Please feel free to pull out any of my signature moves in celebration,” she told stars gathered at The Star casino in Sydney.

Gunn’s interview on The Project airs from 6.30pm on Wednesday