“Never Done Before”: Olivia Dunne Makes Bold Claim Over Gymnastics Career Following Retirement

There’s no blueprint for what Olivia Dunne is doing. Because no one’s ever done it before. At just 22, she’s dazzling in NCAA gymnastics meets, and running her business empire while gracing magazine covers. In a world where most young stars excel in one lane, Dunne’s straddling four.  She began as a gymnastics prodigy, earning a full ride to LSU and clinching SEC honors. But what sets her apart isn’t just her near-perfect 9.9 scores or viral TikTok routines. It’s the way she’s flipped the script on what it means to be a modern female athlete. She has been making her mark and she knows it. She opened up like never before recently, and here’s what she said.

“That’s a really hard thing for people to wrap their head around,” said Dunne while speaking to Sports Illustrated. Her excellence across such diverse is a real head-scratcher for sure. Indeed, the NJ native cannot stop setting milestones. In what was yet another feather on her embellished crown, Dunne was selected to feature on the covers of the SI Swimsuit 2025 edition. And surely, while reflecting on her journey, the LSU heartthrob did not forget to let the world know that she is one of her kind. “Nobody else has done it before me, so I’m kind of just writing my own story here,” Livvy Dunne further added. 

It’s that very story that’s drawn millions to her. From her time on the U.S. junior national team at just 14 to securing seven-figure name-image-likeness (NIL) deals in college, Dunne’s path has been a whirlwind of firsts. Her business savvy is as polished as her gymnastics routines. Each endorsement and appearance is calculated with precision. Yet, behind the glamor and gold medals is a relentless drive. She’s not just going viral. She’s building a future beyond the gym, brick by brick.

In doing so, the LSU standout redefines success for an entire generation. Olivia Dunne isn’t following a roadmap. She is the roadmap. From collaborating with fellow icons like Angel Reese to managing training, modeling gigs, and brand deals, she’s not just balancing it all. She’s thriving. Meanwhile, Dunne is not satisfied with just being a standout herself. She now wants to inspire and guide the upcoming generations to possibly become the next Olivia Dunne. 

Olivia Dunne retires from gymnastics with grace and a game plan for the future

With a heartfelt goodbye to the sport that shaped her, Livvy has stepped off the mat one final time. “Time flies when you’re having fun,” the LSU star reflected in a social media video, announcing her retirement at age 22. Dunne added, “That’s exactly how the past 20 years in this sport have felt.”

It’s a poignant end to a journey that saw her go from national team member to NCAA champion, culminating in LSU’s first-ever team title in 2024. Livvy Dunne shared, “Gymnastics, you have filled my heart and will always be a part of me.” She said, “You are my first love.” In the same breath, she paid tribute to the people who carried her along the way—her parents, club coaches, and LSU’s staff—calling the memories and sisterhoods formed through gymnastics “lifetime” gifts.

But while the leotard may be hung up, the gymnast’s ambitions are only growing. She now plans to expand her efforts in educating student-athletes on branding and NIL opportunities. “It’s possible for any young girl to do. I want to provide education on how to get started and how to [put] yourself at the forefront of something that’s still so new”, Livvy says. Candid as ever, she notes, “Girls are always going to have to work a little harder.” And Dunne? She’s just getting started. 

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