LSU Gymnast Olivia Dunne Talks Falling in Love With Her Sport Again

The 2024 SI Swimsuit rookie recently opened up to the ‘New York Post’ about returning to Baton Rouge for her fifth and final season of eligibility.

Olivia Dunne / Santiago Felipe/Getty Images

In July, LSU gymnast and two-time SI Swimsuit model Olivia Dunne revealed she would be returning to the Baton Rouge university for her fifth and final season of competition with the Tigers. Following LSU’s national championship win this spring, the 21-year-old athlete’s decision to return to the mat wasn’t necessarily a surprising one.

Her initial announcement came in the form of an Instagram announcement, in which Dunne explained the reasoning behind her choice.

“These past four years have changed my life,” she stated. “There’s something about putting on a purple and gold leotard. There’s something about competing in front of 13,000 screaming Tiger fans. There’s something about being pushed by your coaches to be your very best. And there’s something about being part of a team that made school history.”

Olivia Dunne / Santiago Felipe/Getty Images

In a new interview with the New York Post, the New Jersey native expanded upon that reasoning. She noted that, over the last few years, her love for gymnastics dwindled somewhat due to the pressures of balancing school and athletics. Last year, however, she reclaimed her love for her sport during her senior season.

“There definitely were times where my love for the sport lowered,” Dunne told the outlet. “I mean, my sophomore and junior year was quite hard to balance. And with school and athletics, it was just a hard balance and there was nobody I could follow in their footsteps because nobody’s ever done it before. So I kind of just had to carve my own path and find out what works for me.”

She noted that winning the gymnastics national championship with her teammates was an incredibly special moment, and she’s looking to experience that feeling one more time.

“I’ve really found the love, my love for the sport again last year, I’d say,” Dunne added. “So that’s one of the main reasons why I wanted to come back.”