Olivia Dunne opens up about gruesome injury that shattered Olympic dreams

Former LSU Tigers gymnast Olivia Dunne opened up about a gruesome injury she suffered when she was younger that essentially shattered her dreams of becoming a U.S. Olympian.

The New Jersey native began her foray into elite gymnastics in 2014 and was added to the national team and began to work her way up to the senior elite level before committing to LSU, where she earned a national championship with the program before her collegiate career ended.

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LSU Tigers gymnast Olivia Dunne looks on during the 2025 Women's National Gymnastics Semifinal at Dickies Arena on April 17, 2025. (Jerome Miron-Imagn Images)

Dunne explained on "What’s Your Story? With Stephanie McMahon" that she suffered the devastating injury in 2018.

"I was actually competing on a hurt ankle at the 2018 USA Championships and, yeah, part of my ankle bone died. … Yeah, it just died. So, my Olympic dreams died with it," she said. "It kind of healed a little bit. It stopped bothering me. I went to college after that, but it was so painful. That was kind of my first real injuries. 

"I’ve actually never gotten any surgery, which is kind of crazy for a gymnast. And I was like, I think if I just give myself time to heal, I can heal without surgery. But that’s something I take pride in. I have never needed surgery as a gymnast, which is very uncommon."

Olivia Dunne of the LSU Tigers warms up at the Dickies Arenas for the NCAA Championship on April 20, 2024 in Fort Worth, Texas. (Chris Parent/LSU/University Images via Getty Images)

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Dunne was able to compete at LSU until an injury ultimately derailed her final year at the program.

She has been one of the most-followed athletes on social media since she joined LSU. She boasts more than 8 million followers on TikTok and another 5.4 million on Instagram. She helped the Tigers to a national championship in 2024, but her final year with LSU was derailed because of an injury.

LSU Tigers' Olivia Dunne looks on during the meet against the Georgia Bulldogs at Maravich Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on March 7, 2025. (Stephen Lew-Imagn Images)

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Since then, she’s been spotted cheering on her boyfriend, Paul Skenes, as he makes waves in MLB with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

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