8 Times Olivia Dunne Proved She Was Ready to Be a SI Swim Model

Sammi Burke
·2 min read
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Sports Illustrated just introduced 20-year-old LSU Gymnast Olivia Dunne as a new member of the SI Swim family.

The college student is the NCAA's highest-earning female athlete, with close to 11 million followers across TikTok and Instagram, but Dunne isn't without her fair share of critics, especially after closing wildly successful endorsement deals following the NIL's lifting of restrictions.

But as MJ Day, SI Swimsuit editor-in-chief, said, "We are here to celebrate this incredible young woman and encourage the world to respect and applaud Livvy and her fellow athletes for owning the blood, sweat and tears that have fueled a lifetime of achievements.”

There's far more to it than appearances, and Dunne wants to be sure that any young women looking up to her know it. As she told the publication herself, “There’s always people who want to downplay your success and say it’s just because of how you look or it’s just luck. I don’t give that negativity too much attention because it doesn’t deserve it. If I want girls to hear my message, I need to focus on what I want to say and not waste my time getting defensive about people who don’t take the time to understand what I do.”

Related: Katie Austin, SI Swimsuit Rookie of the Year, Announces Engagement

The athlete makes her debut next month in the publication's annual swimsuit edition with a spread of snapshots from her very first shoot with photographer Ben Watts in Puerto Rico this past January, but she's long since shown herself to be prepared to become a model for the beloved edition.

Here are 8 photos that prove it:

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Next: SI Swimsuit Unveils Photos of 2023 Rookie Melissa Wood-Tepperberg