"My Olympic dreams died with it"- Olivia Dunne opens up about disastrous injury that shattered her major goals

Olivia Dunne opened up about how an extensive ankle injury during her teenage years ended her Olympic dreams, despite her dominance at the elite level. Dunne signed with the Louisiana State University shortly after and forged a successful NCAA career.

Olivia Dunne, who has been maneuvering on the mat since three, made it to the US National team for the first time in 2017, making her international debut at the City of Jesolo Trophy and finishing sixth in the all-around. In 2018, she competed as a senior, but an ankle injury cut her 2018 season short and even marred the following year.

As she rested up, Olivia Dunne signed her National Letter of Intent with LSU, and she started her collegiate career in the 2020-21 season. Now retired, the 22-year-old sat in conversation with 'What's Your Story? With Steph McMahon', talking about how an ankle injury was responsible for ending her Olympic dreams.

"I was actually competing on her ankle. I think the 2018 USA Championships and part of my ankle bone died. It's called an OCD, it just died, so my Olympic dreams died with it."

Dunne also shared how she didn't think elite gymnastics was the right environment for her since she suffered consistent injuries.

"I did compete for Team USA, and we would go to Italy, compete, we won gold, that was one of the biggest honors of my life. But, I mean, it was just not the right environment for me, and I kept getting hurt, you know what?, I'm going to go enjoy the sport again in college, go to LSU, heal up and enjoy and love the sport."

Dunne was part of the LSU women's gymnastics squad that won its first National title in program history in 2024.

Olivia Dunne once revealed that her post-gymnastics plan would include supporting women athletes

Dunne at the 2024 LSU Archive - (Source: Getty)

Olivia Dunne built a massive platform for herself with the help of NIL deals. She became the highest-paid NCAA athlete in 2023 and even helped several women athletes earn from sponsorships through her eponymous 'Livvy Fund'. Continuing her work and growing her social media family, Dunne shared that she would like to do something for women's sports and bring more eyes to gymnastics.

"I definitely would want to do something with sports and keep advocating for women's sports, especially since I'm fortunate to have this platform," Dunne said. "It's important to keep eyes on women's sports and keep the hype around gymnastics especially."

Dunne has been dating MLB star Paul Skenes since 2023, and the couple recently made an appearance at the MLB All-Star Game's red carpet.

Edited by Agnijeeta Majumder