Olivia Dunne Opens Up About ‘Death’ of Olympic Dreams and Viral SI Swimsuit Runway Moment

The retired gymnast and 2025 SI Swimsuit cover model sat down with WWE’s Stephanie McMahon for a candid chat.

Olivia Dunne / John Parra/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

Olivia Dunne stopped by Stephanie McMahon’s podcast What’s Your Story? last week, where the retired gymnast and 2025 SI Swimsuit cover model chatted about everything from the “death” of her Olympic dreams after an injury to her creation of The Livvy Fund to her viral SI Swimsuit runway moment.

Beginning the conversation with questions around Dunne’s early career in gymnastics, her time on the USA National Team and her eventual career at LSU, the social media sensation opened up about the devastating ankle injury that led her to realize she wouldn’t go on to compete at the Olympics.

Olivia Dunne was photographed by Ben Watts in Bermuda. Swimsuit by Andi Bagus. Hat by ’47. / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

“I did compete for Team USA, and we would go to Italy to compete, and we won gold. That was one of the biggest honors of my life,” Dunne said of her time on the USA National Team. “But, I mean, it was just not the right environment for me, and I kept getting hurt. So I was like, ‘You know what? I’m going to go enjoy the sport again in college, go to LSU, heal up, and enjoy and love the sport.”

The host then asked Dunne about something she’d read on social media, noting that it said a bone in Dunne’s ankle had “died.” Dunne confirmed this statement, saying that it happened when she was competing at the 2018 USA Championships.

“It just died,” she reiterated. She then added with a giggle, “So, my Olympic dreams died with it.”

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The athlete also talked about NIL deals as well as The Livvy Fund at LSU, which provides aid for female student athletes seeking new brand opportunities. Dunne noted that the emergence of NIL deals changed her life, adding that there “are good parts of it.”

When McMahon asked her to elaborate, she explained, “It’s so important to capitalize on your name, image and likeness—which you should have rights to, because it’s yourself—while you’re competing in front of some of the biggest crowds of your life.”

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Dunne also chatted about the SI Swimsuit runway show, which took place back in May. The athlete joined the brand in Miami, Fla., where she modeled two gorgeous swimwear looks—and also created one seriously viral moment by dropping into a surprise split right at the end of the catwalk.

“I’ve never walked on a runway a day in my life. I’ve only ever walked in my bedroom mirror after watching the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show growing up,” Dunne joked when asked how the moment came to be. “I decided right after the rehearsal, I remember I was talking with my sister—I was consulting with only people I knew would agree with me—and I was like, ‘Should I do a split?‘ and they were like, ‘Yeah, just go for it!’"

She went on to note that she also ran the idea by SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day, who told her to “have fun with it.” And the rest, as we know, is history!

You can check out the full podcast episode here.

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