Olivia Dunne Reflects on SI Swimsuit Photos, Monetizing Her Brand

The 2023 SI Swimsuit model is the highest-paid female NCAA athlete in the country.

Olivia Dunne was photographed by Ben Watts in Puerto Rico.Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Olivia Dunne first stepped foot in a gymnasium when she was just 3 years old, and she hasn’t looked back since.

The 2023 SI Swimsuit model says as a child she was “full of energy” and a total “daredevil.” She loved to climb on things, hang from bars and see the world from a new vantage point. She joined the U.S. national team at the age of 14 and while it was certainly her “biggest honor,” she says it was also the hardest year of her life. Dunne did what was best for herself at the time: she took care of her injuries, said “yes” to a full-ride scholarship to LSU and began living the life of a normal college student, while also practicing in the gym every day.

“Elite gymnastics [was] definitely a sacrifice. My childhood was full of gymnastics. The atmosphere in the gym was very intense. Our collective goal was just to make the Olympics. That was my dream growing up,” she explains. “Stepping away from elite gymnastics was very difficult. I just decided why not be healthy, go to school and enjoy college and gymnastics.”

Today, the 20-year-old is the highest-paid female NCAA athlete in the country. Her seven-figure salary—a result of her consistency with social media in combination with brand deals to her name, image and likeness—somehow bothers a handful of people. But she doesn’t let that get in her way.

View Olivia Dunne’s full 2023 SI Swimsuit gallery here.

Olivia Dunne was photographed by Ben Watts in Puerto Rico.

Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Dunne is changing the narrative for female athletes while proving that women can do it all.

“When people look at my Sports Illustrated photos, I want them to take away that you can have the best of both worlds—and you can be a strong independent woman while doing it all,” she says. “You can be an athlete, you can be in school and you can do modeling.”

Dunne, who has a combined 11 million followers across Instagram and TikTok, says that she doesn’t take life too seriously, which often helps when it comes to dealing with the inevitable internet trolls that come with fame.

Olivia Dunne was photographed by Ben Watts in Puerto Rico.

Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

“The thing I love most about myself is when I’m smiling—just being undeniably myself,” she continues. “I don’t usually speak on social media stuff. I usually just post videos to the trending audios. To be here and tell you what’s on my mind is awesome.”

The New Jersey native admits that even though she was supposed to keep her SI Swimsuit feature a secret initially, she told her mom immediately after getting the phone call.

“As soon as I got off the phone, I was jumping up and down. I called my mom, even though you’re not supposed to tell anyone right away, I had to tell my mom. It was surreal,” she shares. “There’s a lot of young girls that look up to me and I feel like a lot of young girls also follow Sports Illustrated. So both of our brands align because we want to inspire the younger generation.”

Olivia Dunne was photographed by Ben Watts in Puerto Rico.

Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

View Olivia Dunne’s full 2023 SI Swimsuit gallery here.

Meet Olivia Dunne—read the 2023 SI Swimsuit model’s full feature profile here.

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