"She spoke her mind" - Olivia Dunne explains how retired gymnast Aly Raisman became her inspiration while growing up

LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne recently named the former elite gymnast who inspired her during the early years of her career. Dunne herself was a member of the US national team from 2018 to 2020 and competed in various tournaments, including the 2018 US National Championships.

Even though injuries limited Dunne's time on the national team, she grew up idolizing the captain of the 2012 and 2016 US Olympic Women's Gymnastics, Aly Raisman.

The 22-year-old also mentioned that she liked Raisman for her immaculate gymnastic skills and fearless outspoken nature. She said (via Sports Illustrated):

"Aly Raisman was very inspiring growing up. Because she was an amazing gymnast and she spoke her mind.”

Raisman was a prominent figure on the US Women's Gymnastics team from 2010 to her retirement in 2016. During this time, she won seven Olympic medals, including three gold medals, and two World Gymnastics Championship gold medals.

Similar to her idol Raisman, Dunne also got an opportunity to be a part of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue. Raisman was part of the magazine twice, in 2017 and 2018, while Dunne graced the 2024 edition of the issue.

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Olivia Dunne opens up about the other side of competing in gymnastics

Dunne during the introductions before the match against West Virginia mountainners (Image via Getty Images)

Just last month, Olivia Dunne opened up about the negative aspects of a gymnast's career, shortly after beginning her training with LSU for the 2025 gymnastics season.

In an interview, Dunne discussed the mental toughness required to endure criticism and negative comments, a common challenge for gymnasts. She also highlighted "body image" issues as a significant problem faced by many gymnasts. She said (via Flaunt Magazine):

"You need to have thick skin to do gymnastics or any artistic sport.I actually looked at a statistic, and it said anorexia and body image issues are the highest in artistic sport. Growing up in elite gymnastics, it was very hard dealing with body image."

As one of the most popular and active gymnasts on social media, Dunne has frequently faced body shaming and mean comments on her platforms.