Olivia Dunne is slipping into a new swimsuit ahead of her highly anticipated Sports Illustrated debut.
Taking to her Instagram Stories on Thursday, LSU’s superstar gymnast posted a new photo of herself modeling a black-and-white bikini — days after it was revealed she’ll be appearing in this year’s edition of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit.
“Just getting the opportunity to be in SI Swimsuit was such a dream of mine and when it happened, I actually could not believe it,” Dunne told the publication.
For her debut photo shoot, the 20-year-old Dunne traveled to Puerto Rico in January and worked with famed photographer Ben Watts.
“Two days ago I competed, I was at school, and then yesterday I flew here, had my fitting, and here I am shooting,” Dunne said of the experience.
A social media sensation, Dunne has more than 11 million followers across her TikTok and Instagram pages and is regarded as the NCAA’s highest-earning female athlete.
MJ Day, the editor-in-chief of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit, lauded Dunne’s unique path when expressing how “excited” she is about featuring the New Jersey native in this year’s issue.
“Livvy is harnessing this newfound power and turning it into a long-term, sustainable brand, growing the sport of collegiate gymnastics and setting an example for athletes of the future of what they are also capable of accomplishing outside of the competitive arena. In a world where women are constantly being forced to pick a lane, Livvy is in all of them, winning,” Day said.
For Dunne, being part of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit family is simply “a dream come true.”
“The way that the [SI Swimsuit] brand has evolved and has become such a positive spotlight for women to tell their stories and to spread awesome messages of being strong, sexy and beautiful, I knew that was something I wanted to be part of,” she said.
The 2023 edition of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit drops later this month.
