Meet Olivia Dunne, college gymnast who became millionaire at 18 after TikTok fame led to commercial deals
OLIVIA DUNNE is the sporting sensation taking college gymnastics by storm in America.
The 20-year-old rising star became a millionaire at the age of 18 thanks to her social media fame.
Olivia has been a gymnast since she was a child and is now one of the top earners in college sports.
She has seven million followers on TikTok and three million on Instagram.
And Louisiana State star Olivia often documents her lavish lifestyle.
NCAA rules meant the US National Team star wasn’t allowed to make any money from her internet fame.
But that policy was dropped in June 2021 with college athletes now allowed to profit off their image and name.
That led Olivia to sign up with a talent agency WME Sports, and she landed a sponsorship deal with an activewear brand.
She has been picking and choosing her endorsement deals, but New York Post report that she’s earned more than a million dollars already.
She told New York Post: “I just want to be a role model to young girls. I want to set a good example, and I want to send out a message that we’re more than just our sport. That’s very important to me.
“I don’t try to put any pressure on myself, and I don’t try to compare myself to other people. I’m kind of just going with the flow, and it’s very exciting.
“Right now it’s all about trying to find a balance between school, social media and gymnastics. All them are top priorities in my life.
“I think it’s really a special time right now with the NIL change, especially for women’s sports because there’s not a lot of professional leagues after college for women.”
But her $2m-a-year earnings from her social media fame and sponsors were described as a ‘step back’ for women by one coach.
Stanford’s Tara VanDerveer told the NY Times: “I guess sometimes we have this swinging pendulum, where we maybe take two steps forward, and then we take a step back.
“We’re fighting for all the opportunities to compete, to play, to have resources, to have facilities, to have coaches, and all the things that go with Olympic-caliber athletics.
“This is a step back.”
Olivia said ‘RIP to my teenage years’ as she celebrated her 20th birthday last year.
She also went viral for handing a college football player ‘two Ls in one night’.
Olivia had a brilliant response when she was mentioned by Mississippi State player Jordan Morant.
Morant’s team took on the LSU Tigers in a college football showdown earlier this month.
Before the game, safety Morant tried to shoot his shot with Olivia.
He said in a TikTok video: “When we play LSU tomorrow and Livy Dunne is out there somewhere.”
But the gymnast responded immediately, saying: “Good luck but geaux tigahs.”
LSU Tigers beat Mississippi State Bulldogs 31-16.
And Morant later joked: “Two Ls in one night.”