“I don’t think I’m going to try for the Olympics or anything,” Olivia Dunne said, but why? Well, if you’ve been following gymnastics, you know Olivia is one of the biggest names in the sport. After winning an NCAA championship, everyone thought she might aim for the Paris Olympics. But just days after Team USA’s gymnastics roster was finalized, she posted a funny video on social media, poking fun at herself. The 14-second clip showed some of her gymnastic mishaps—failed dismounts and falls—set to a bass-boosted version of the Star-Spangled Banner. “Very saddened to announce I was not selected for the 2024 Olympic Games,” she wrote, adding a disappointed emoji and “Snubbed fr” in the caption. It was all in jest, a little joke with her 14 million followers.

But here’s the thing—Olivia wasn’t actually snubbed. In fact, she had already made it clear back in 2021 that she had no plans to compete in the Olympics at all. Why? Because her health comes first. With a net worth of $9.5 million (which includes her NCAA earnings along with multiple brand endorsement deals), Olivia has learned that nothing is more important than taking care of herself—especially after everything gymnastics has put her through.

So, Olivia opened up about the reason why she walked away from elite gymnastics altogether during an appearance on the “BFFs” podcast, saying the elite gymnastics program was “pretty dysfunctional.” She didn’t dive into specifics, but she did share some details in a 2023 interview with Elle about her time at the Karolyi Ranch. “I remember the first time I went, I thought it was going to be a fun summer camp with gymnastics. No. I was completely wrong,” Olivia said. “It was honestly ab*sive there.” Even though she stuck with it for six summers, believing it was the only way to make her dreams come true, once she was done, she knew it was time to leave that part of her life behind.

Olivia Dunne has been gauntlet in gymnastics from an early age. She joined elite gymnastics at the age of 11, joining the USA Gymnastics Junior National Team in 2017. However, representing the country in gymnastics for any young girl was training at Karolyi Ranch in Texas, a camp notorious for being demanding on both the body and the spirit of the gymnasts. “It shut down, obviously, because it was not a good place,” Olivia says. “I went from the age of 10 until I was 16—that was the only way to make your dreams come true as a gymnast.” So, that’s the reason she will never join the American team! But still she is much more popular than many Olympians! You know how?

The non-Olympian gymnast, Olivia Dunne, who’s shaking up the gymnastics world!

Olivia Dunne has been all over social media since late 2020, but it is not gymnastics that made her famous but her personality. She began sharing her gymnastics performances on TikTok, but then, she escalated it. She posted some parts of her life as a student-athlete at LSU lip-synching, dancing extremely, and showing how her college life is and how she truly is. Not very soon, her followers grew to like her genuine personality and her charisma. Olivia finally got the perfect combination of an athlete and an influencer, which is when the real journey began.

Thus, as the number of fans and followers increased, brands began to show interest, and Olivia rapidly became a marketing legend. She was not ‘just’ an athlete posing and posting on social media—no, she was an entrepreneur in the making. Olivia pitched to different industries, such as activewear/sportswear brands and beauty companies, and her partners include L’Oreal, Vuori, American Eagle, and Forever 21. But here’s the thing—she not only promoted these brands to sell their products; she introduced an entirely new demographic to gymnastics.

But, that’s still not the whole essence of Olivia Dunne: It’s more than the fame and the deals. Yes, she has been very much through her own share of trials as well. After a torn labrum on her shoulder together with a torn bicep, she was able to make a comeback in 2023 during a meet in Alabama. Despite the fact gymnastics has challenged her physical strength, Olivia remains a perfect example of a resilient young woman. And beyond her athletic achievements, there’s another side of her: Olivia is also a role model. In 2023 she created the “Livvy Fund,” which aims to guide female athletes on the right ways of monetizing sponsorship deals and growing their social media following. And, yes, when it comes to her love life—she is seeing Paul Skenes, a baseball player and the first-round draft pick for the 2023 MLB. Now, you tell me? Isn’t she as popular as any Olympian?