How Livvy Dunne Rediscovered Her Love for Gymnastics Before Returning to LSU

Olivia “Livvy” Dunne had to fall in love with gymnastics again before announcing her decision to return to LSU for her fifth and final year of eligibility in July.

The 21-year-old gymnast, who helped bring LSU’s program its first NCAA championship in April, opened up to The Post about the ups and downs of her gymnastics career, including negative comments from critics and what led to her decision to pursue a second straight title with the Lady Tigers.

“I definitely want to get back — well, first of all, we won last year,” Dunne said in an exclusive interview with The Post while promoting “The Money Game,” a six-part docuseries now streaming on Prime Video — which explores LSU’s Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) program for athletes, including Dunne during LSU’s title run.

“It was so exciting, not only for our team, but for the whole university. And it’s a feeling I want to feel again. It was so special in the bond with the girls.

“I really found the love again, the love of the sport last year, I would say. That’s one of the main reasons why I wanted to come back.”

Dunne said there had “definitely” been times when her love for the sport wavered, including her role as a substitute last season when she was also struggling with injuries.

“I think it’s really hard to be in that position because there’s a lot of people telling you that you’re not important or that you’re not really part of the team when you are,” she said, referring to negative comments from critics, including some who questioned whether she was a real gymnast. “There’s more people who don’t do anything than those who do. It’s tough, but the sport is competitive and being on a team is a healthy competition every day to push each other to be better.”

“There were times when my love for sports waned. I mean, my sophomore and junior years were pretty tough to balance. And between school and sports, it was just a tough balance and I didn’t have anyone I could step on because no one had ever done it before. So I had to carve out my own path and figure out what worked for me.”

Dunne stopped by Post Studios in New York City with LSU guard Flau’Jae Johnson, who also appears in the docuseries, on Tuesday.

In this article, the Sports Illustrated model explains how she took on a substitute role for most of her senior year.

“You’re happy for everybody, but it hurts for a while,” Dunne said on the show when she was left off the lineup for a game against Arkansas last season.

“I’m the backup most of the time and I kind of accepted that role because everyone works so hard in the gym. You’re surrounded by so many incredible athletes and you can either rise up or stand out,” she said.

Dunne ended up replacing KJ Johnson in that game and helped the Tigers beat the Razorbacks — all while her boyfriend, Pirates pitcher Paul Skenes, smiled from the stands watching.

LSU gymnastics coach Jay Clark praised Dunne for his leadership and reliability at any position.

“I know sometimes people think, ‘Well, she doesn’t do as much as her level of fame would suggest,’ but that bothers me a little bit. Because she’s played a huge role and been a valuable asset from a gymnastics standpoint,” Clark said.

“She’s one of those players you can count on to play (any position). The fact that she’s in this position shows she’s one of the best.”

Dunne announced his decision to return to LSU in a social media video, captioned “Not Dunne yet.”

That month, the New Jersey native told The Post she would not pursue gymnastics beyond the college level and ruled out the Olympics.