“There are always times when you want to quit” - Olivia Dunne reflects on sacrificing family time and summer trips to build her gymnastics career

Olivia Dunne reflected on how she contemplated quitting gymnastics since it forced her to miss quality time with family and was physically taxing. Dunne returned to LSU for the fifth-year eligibility after her team lifted the NCAA Championships trophy early in 2024.

Dunne, 22, started gymnastics at age three, and by the time she turned five, she was invited to try pre-team at the ENA Gymnastics. She attended National Team Camps at the USA Training Center in Texas, and competed at the 2015 American Classic, clinching eighth finish in the all-around competition. She also competed at the 2016 Secret US Classic, the 2018 US Classic in Jesolo, and the Atlanta Centennial Classic, among others.

In 2019, the Hillsdale-born signed the National Letter of Intent to attend LSU (starting in 2020) on a full athletic scholarship after accepting the offer in 2017. Since then, she has been making waves on the gymnastics mat and social media, owing to the Name Image Likeliness (NIL) rule.

Olivia Dunne was featured in a Flaunt film, a testament to her gymnastics success, where she talked about the times she contemplated quitting elite gymnastics since it ate up most of her holidays and quality family time.

"I wouldn’t be able to go on field trips or the prom. I had a hard time going to the gym most days. There are always times when you want to quit. I just feel like that’s part of being an athlete at a top level," she reflected on the taxing elite gymnastics days.

Dunne rapidly gained fame as a social media personality and became the most followed NCAA athlete. She had the opportunity to quit either social media or gymnastics to move forward in her life but chose to keep both.

"I started social media because I loved to do it. I would have had to sacrifice my gymnastics career to make money or quit social media [to continue gymnastics]. But I didn’t have to give up either one," she added.

Dunne amassed 13.5 million followers across Instagram and TikTok, among others.

Olivia Dunne on how she reacts when people perceive her as a 'social media influencer'

Olivia Dunne at the LSU v Florida gymnastics face-off - Source: Getty

Olivia Dunne garnered immense fame for her social media presence but also gets misperceived as a 'social media influencer' instead of a creator who built her brand after years of hard work.

"I worked really hard to get to where I am in building my personal brand, and it didn’t happen in the blink of an eye. It didn’t happen in just a year. It didn’t happen because of one viral moment. It happened over years of getting to know my audience, learning the algorithms, and growing my brand to be what it is today. That’s why people are so fascinated with what I’m doing," she said (via Flaunt).

Dunne's popularity also showered her with lucrative brand deals, such as Vuori, Raising Cane's, American Eagle, Nautica, and Ulta Beauty. She also graced the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue in 2023 and 2024.