Nearly an Year After Being Mobbed, Olivia Dunne Conquers Past Fears With LSU NCAA 2024 Season Debut

Olivia Dunne, LSU gymnast and social media celebrity has finally made a comeback to the competition scene over a year after experiencing an uncomfortable horde of teen boys experience. Last season, the LSU finished just inches away from the podium finish taking fourth place in the NCAA Championship.

In her final year now, Dunne returned to the mats with a brilliant NCAA 2024 season debut performance yesterday, despite the upset she had in the previous year.

Olivia Dunne puts back the previous season’s ruckus

When the LSU Tigers faced the 14th-ranked Ohio State in their 2024 season-opening, Olivia Dunne confidently went onto the mats. ESPN posted a clip of Dunne’s floor performance on YouTube, effectively capturing the energy of her performance. Her outstanding 9.875 in her LSU Tiger Gymnastics floor debut went a long way toward helping LSU defeat the Ohio State Buckeyes with a 49.525 overall floor score.

LSU has taken preemptive steps to guarantee the safety and well-being of its female athletes in the wake of the tragic post-event incident that happened last year. Coach Jay Clark confirmed about the LSU’s team having a bodyguard, he said, “That person will be in our hotel and outside our locker room and getting us to and from the bus at the venue,” ; “(The officer) will be there to create a perimeter that keeps everybody safe,” he stated last year.

This move was a direct step taken after the chaotic circumstances that transpired in LSU’s face off against University of Utah in Salt Lake City, when supporters turned extremely fervent to catch a glimpse of Dunne post-NCAA meet. Livvy also took to twitter to address her fans with the note emphasizing: “please be respectful of the other gymnasts and the gymnastics community as we are just doing our job.” Now, the burning question arises: What really happened?

What happened in Salt Lake City

Just like yesterday’s match, last year’s No. 3 Utah beat No. 6 LSU on a Friday night in the Huntsman Center winning 197.275 to 196.775. After the event, fans crowded the arena by surrounding the exits—eager to take selfies with Livvy. A few were chanting, “We want her,” very loudly. In no time, many teen boys turned disruptive. Reportedly over fifty boys were chanting: “Livvy! Livvy! Livvy!”; “Give us Livvy!” and “We want Livvy! We want her!”

READ MORE Olivia Dunne’s Mother Surprises Her With a Sweet Gesture Amidst Upcoming LSU Season

Many concerned with the violent act voiced their worries including Olympian Kathy Johnson Clarke and Olympic medalist and broadcaster Samantha Peszek who posted a video of the disturbing incident. Athletes from Utah also expressed how uncomfortable they were and how they felt people were pursuing Dunne. Following the event, the LSU gymnastics team decided to make athlete safety their first priority, which led to the decision to strengthen security for the whole season.

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