"She's bringing so many eyeballs"- Nastia Liukin credits Olivia Dunne for rise in gymnastics' popularity

By Soumik Bhattacharya

Modified Jul 16, 2024 20:19 GMT

2008 Olympic gold medalist Nastia Liukin has hailed Olivia Dunne's contribution towards popularizing gymnastics as a sport. The 34-year-old is massively appreciative of Dunne and her work outside of gymnastics.

Even though Dunne didn't make many appearances in her international career as it was cut short due to a devastating injury, she has become a popular figure among gymnastics fans for her social media fame and her collegiate career with the Louisiana State University. Dunne is also one of the most renowned TikTok personalities in the United States of America with a staggering eight million followers.

In a recent interview, the former Olympic gold medalist opened up about how Olivia Dunne has helped grow gymnastics as a discipline outside the spectrum of the Olympics. Liukin told USA Today:

"Gymnastics has been a sport that every four years everybody becomes obsessed with and we love that. But I think with all these athletes and with people like Livy [Olivia Dunne] and with Simone [Biles], of course, I mean they are truly bringing so much awareness to the sport and I think that's incredible."

She further stated:

"With Livy, she is bringing so much, just like eyeballs and you know so much love and passion for the sport because that's where it all started for her."

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Olivia Dunne pens down emotional note as she announces her decision to stay at LSU

Olivia Dunne (Image via: Getty Images)

Olivia Dunne recently announced her decision to return to Louisiana Gymnastics for her fifth year. Dunne's return to LSU will give a huge boost to the already decorated line-up of the Tigers, consisting of stars such as Haleigh Bryant.

She announced her decision to stay at LSU through a reel shared by her on her official social media handles. In the reel, she was heard saying:

"Dear LSU, these past four years have changed my life. There’s something about putting on a purple and gold leotard. There’s something about competing in front of 13,000 screaming Tiger fans. There’s something about being pushed by your coaches to be your very best."

She added:

"And there’s something about being a part of a team that made school history. And no matter how many opportunities come my way off the mat, there’s just something about LSU."

Dunne ended her fourth year at LSU in superb fashion by winning the SEC Conference title and the NCAA Championships (the first in her school's history). At the SEC Championships, she produced a staggering perfromance in the uneven bars apparatus. Dunne's performance in the floor exercises was also spot on, as she touched the mark of 9.9 twice.