Olivia Dunne became one of the most popular collegiate athletes when she joined the LSU women’s gymnastics team and helped the school to a national championship in four years.
In those four years, Dunne’s social media fame has only exploded. She was seen in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition, featured in the documentary “The Money Game,” dating Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes and was recently photographed for the latest issue of Flaunt magazine.
Louisiana State University gymnast Olivia Dunn reacts on the field after her boyfriend, Pittsburgh Pirates starting pitcher Paul Skenes made his major league debut against the Chicago Cubs at PNC Park in Pittsburgh on May 11, 2024. (Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports)
Dunne explained the “frustrating” parts of her fame as she was quickly dismissed as a gymnast despite being on one of the top programs in the country.
“It definitely is frustrating at times,” she told the magazine. “The worst part is that people think gymnastics is easy when it’s not. The job is to make it look beautiful and easy. You’re not doing it right if it looks hard… The social media aspect of it — I worked really hard to get to where I am in building my personal brand, and it didn’t happen in the blink of an eye.
“It didn’t happen in just a year. It didn’t happen because of one viral moment. It happened over years of getting to know my audience, learning the algorithms, and growing my brand to be what it is today. That’s why people are so fascinated with what I’m doing.”
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Olivia Dunne attends the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2024 Issue Release and 60th Anniversary Celebration at Hard Rock Hotel New York on May 16, 2024 in New York City. (Dimitrios Kambouris/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit)
Dunne has 8 million followers on TikTok and 5.3 million followers on Instagram.
She told Flaunt she looks up to Nastia Liukin, a former Olympic gymnast who works in media and does more outside the sport.
Dunne said she wants to show others that they do not have to be just one thing.
“You can have it all,” she added. “You can be a D1 athlete. You can be a student. You can do social media. You can work with your favorite brands. You can grow your own brand. You don’t need to limit yourself to one thing. That’s something I really want to show people.”
Olivia Dunne of the LSU Tigers looks on before a meet against the Florida Gators at the Stephen C. O’Connell Center on Feb. 23, 2024 in Gainesville, Florida. (James Gilbert/Getty Images)
LSU’s gymnastics begins its season on Jan. 3 against Iowa State.
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