Olivia “Livvy” Dunne didn’t just walk the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit runway — she landed it. Literally. The 22-year-old former LSU gymnast capped off her turn Saturday night at the W South Beach in Miami with a clean, confident split at the edge of the catwalk. No fanfare, no fluff — just muscle memory and precision honed from years of NCAA competition.
Dunne walked twice. First, in a high-cut black one-piece sliced with just enough negative space to let the air in. Then again, switching into a white crop top and animal-print bottoms that felt more Venice Beach than Baton Rouge. The crowd ate it up.
This spring, Dunne appeared on one of four covers for the 2024 SI Swimsuit issue — a milestone she didn’t pretend to play cool. “That is crazy,” she said after learning the news. “I am a Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover model… Are you kidding me?”
Crazy or not, it’s a calculated next step in Dunne’s crossover from collegiate athlete to full-time brand. She made her SI Swimsuit debut in 2023, and now shares the 2024 cover spotlight with Lauren Chan, Salma Hayek, and Jordan Chiles — all names that carry weight in their own lanes.
Behind the cover gloss, Dunne was dealing with a fracture to her kneecap. “Fun fact,” she said in an Instagram video from the shoot, “I was shooting on a fractured kneecap, so poses like this and the cover shot kind of hurt, but it was honestly so worth it.”
In March, she revealed she’d been sidelined by an avulsion fracture of her patella — a setback that kept her from performing during LSU’s senior night. “It absolutely breaks my heart,” she wrote on social media. “Tiger fans, you’ve been so good to me. Thank you for the endless support and as always, Geaux Tigers.”
For now, gymnastics is on pause. But Dunne’s not slowing down — just switching surfaces. From mat to runway, the moves are different, but the pressure’s the same. And judging by the crowd’s reaction in Miami, she stuck the landing.
Celebrity Hot Chicks Models News Olivia Dunne Sports
Last modified: June 3, 2025
