Why does Olivia Dunne not compete in the Olympic Games? Exploring the LSU gymnast's elite career

Olivia Dunne has been one of the most prominent gymnasts on the American college circuit. Dunne, a New Jersey native, has made a name for herself, be it for her gymnastics prowess or her social media presence.

However, despite an amazing skillset and a promising start to her elite career back in 2014, Dunne hasn't been in the mix for the Olympics. She missed out back in 2020 and will not be competing in the upcoming edition either. However, the reason has not been a personal choice but an unfortunate one due to a mishap that she suffered during her junior career.

In the initial years of her gymnastics career, Dunne, like any other kid, dreamt of representing her country in the Olympics. However, an ankle injury (specifically a fracture) that she suffered at the age of 15–16 changed the entire graph of her career. After nursing the injury, Dunne realized that the formula of elite gymnastics had become too hard to crack for her.

In an episode of BFF's podcast, the New Jersey native was asked about her Olympic dream. Replying to this, Dunne stated:

"That dream has died. I got hurt when I think I was about 15-16 years old, my bone had died in my ankle and it fractured, so I kind of realized this is not for me anymore."

Owing to this, the New Jersey native decided to forego her elite gymnastics and Olympics dream to concentrate on collegiate gymnastics. In 2020, Dunne signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) with Louisiana State University to compete for their side in collegiate championships.

She has enjoyed great success at LSU and was a member of the team that won the NCAA Gymnastics Championships for the first time in the program's history.

All you need to know about Olivia Dunne's elite gymnastics career

Olivia Dunne

Following her young-age dream of being an elite gymnast, Dunne competed in various elite gymnastics tournaments. Dunne's first appearance at the elite level came in 2014 at the American Classic, during which she clinched the 12th spot in the all-around apparatus.

In 2017, Dunne made her international debut in the City of Jesolo Trophy. The New Jersey native performed well to be placed sixth in the all-around competition. At the 2017 American Classic, Dunne demonstrated her talent once more, finishing fifth in the all-around apparatus.

At the 2017 National Championships, Dunne finished ninth in the all-around apparatus, which also turned out to be the best finish of her career in the prestigious national tournament (she finished 12th in 2016 and 18th in 2018).

Dunne's last elite gymnast tournament came in 2020 at the Nastia Liukin Trophy, during which she was placed 11th all-around. Following this, Dunne embarked on her LSU journey.