“Benchwarmer.” Just as Olivia Dunne returned to reality after being soaked in her LSU glory last year, the young gymnast got a jolt. Sitting on the sidelines to witness the history unfold in front of her eyes, Dunne didn’t have an iota of problem as long as her team won. But, the fans did. Soon after LSU’s victory last year, Dunne became a subject of much mockery. She was not just trolled for her “never-ending” NCAA eligibility, but also for seemingly stealing the limelight from her teammates’ win with her own social media posts. Yet, Dunne has always been resilient—sometimes through silence and sometimes through words. Her only goal was focusing on her career. However, even that aspect has been a growing pain for the gymnast—particularly because of an injury.

What injury, you ask? Well, one that’s kept her out of competition since January 24 this year. The Louisiana State University gymnast first revealed her diagnosis in early March ahead of her senior night. “Hi friends! Unfortunately, I’ve been dealing with an avulsion fracture of my patella and will not be able to compete on senior night. It absolutely breaks my heart to not get the opportunity to compete in the PMAC one last time. Tiger fans, you’ve been so good to me!” she wrote on Instagram Story. For the unversed: The avulsion fracture of the patella (kneecap) is a condition where “a small piece of bone attached to a tendon or ligament gets pulled away from the main part of the bone” as per Cleveland Clinic. Hopes for her return were high, but things don’t look too good.

It was head coach Jay Clark who first gave us a hint of the debacle. Shortly after the IG story, he had said, “Liv’s knee is still an issue. It isn’t a stress fracture, but it is a stress reaction on her kneecap. The only answer for that is rest.” While an injury to an athlete is a common occurrence, Clark’s voice had a hint of uncomfortable heaviness as he described the situation as “unusual”. After all, Dunne was supposed to be the knight in shining armor for the LSU. But as things stand, she’s heading home instead… 

Seeing her recent TikTok post, quite expectedly, her fans were baffled as to why Dunne was packing up so early. The post, captioned “no better feeling😭”, featured the 22-year-old pulling her bag high above her shoulders with the message, “going home after an away meet>”. In the comments section, one social media user asked sarcastically, “Are you coming back for your 9th season next year?”. To this, the gymnast responded, “I should”. That’s when another user asked, “wait why didn’t u compete”. Dunne then replied back, “I’m recovering from a fractured kneecap”. Now, that’s quite a serious issue. And in an instant, the looming cloud of uncertainty over Livvy’s appearance throughout this season got cleared.

Now, whether or not Dunne comes back to college again, it will be expected that she does return to professional gymnastics soon. After all, this is not the first time she has been dealing with injuries. During her illustrious career, Dunne had suffered from a torn biceps, a couple of ruptured labrums, and a stress reaction in her legs back in the 2022-23 season. 

And despite all these setbacks, the iron-clad resilience of Dunne has made her comeback to don the shining leotard time and again. However, this time the injury does feel quite different. So much so, that there are some serious question marks as to if we can ever watch Olivia Dunne take the gymnastics mat again!

Will Olivia Dunne’s latest injury be the end of her gymnastics career?

The knee injury that has struck Dunne is nothing short of a devastating blow, as it could potentially derail her gymnastics career. The serious injury could take anywhere from three to six months (or more) for a full recovery. While she hasn’t competed since January 24, Livvy’s absence from senior night only amplified concerns about whether she’ll ever return to the competition floor.

An avulsion fracture of the patella occurs when a fragment of the kneecap is violently pulled away due to the excessive force of surrounding tendons or ligaments. It’s not just painful. It’s precarious! More so for a gymnast whose routines rely heavily on explosive power and knee stability. The Cureus Journal of Medical Science explains that this injury is often the result of an “excessive pull of the quadriceps tendon or patellar ligament.” In Dunne’s case, the damage is enough to leave her sidelined during one of the most emotionally significant meets of her college career.

With NCAA championships around the corner, the possibility of a return remains uncertain, the risk of this being her final curtain call looms large.