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American gymnast Olivia Dunne recently spoke about how a lucky duck helped her boyfriend Paul Skenes win his MLB match at the 2023 College World Series.
Olivia Dunne, 22, competed for the LSU Tigers since she joined in 2020. In the 2020-21 season, she competed on the uneven bars at every meet. Dunne's uneven bar score of 9.9 contributed to LSU's second-place finish at the SEC Championships. However, her 2022-23 was injury-marred.
Her senior year (2023-24) was a successful one as she scored 9.9 twice in the floor routine. She also anchored her team to the SEC Championships title and their first NCAA Championships title in program history.
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Olivia Dunne started gymnastics when she was three. When she was seven, a little rubber duck graced her life to accompany her on the journey.
In 2023, the LSU Tigers' MLB team, featuring Paul Skenes, lifted their seventh title at the College World Series. In that game, the rubber duck tagged along with the 22-year-old, which she believed was one of the reasons behind the win, which was their first since College World Series win since 2009.
Though she denied being superstitious, her lucky duck has been a constant, as she told Bleacher Report in an interview.
"I'm not too superstitious, I do have a lucky duck, though that I've had since level four, since I was like seven years old. And he's just a lucky little rubber duck. And he comes everywhere with me. I took my lucky duck even to Omaha, the College World Series to watch Paul. And he brought them luck and he won."
The LSU team took a comfortable victory scoring 18-4 over Florida.
"I get more nervous watching Paul" - Olivia Dunne talks about being on the sidelines during her boyfriend's games
In 2023, Olivia Dunne and Paul Skenes made their relationship public. Since then, they have made appearances at several events as a couple. Dunne also graced the sidelines in most of Skenes' baseball matches, especially at the 2023 College World Series.
In an interview with Bleacher Report, she talked about how her anxiety peaks while watching her boyfriend play as compared to when she competes.
"I get more nervous watching Paul because it’s just different when you’re not doing it, and you’re not in control. But I am confident in his abilities, and I kind of channel those nerves into excitement for him."
When asked if Skenes feels the same while watching his girlfriend perform, she didn't have a definitive answer.
Meanwhile, Olivia Dunne's return to the LSU for the fifth year hasn't been confirmed yet.
