LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne’s sister Julz Dunne couldn’t hold it back as she celebrated her performance and win over No. 9 Alabama. She posted Dunne’s performance on her Instagram Story with the caption;
Don’t mind the screaming
According to the New York Post;
LSU gymnast Olivia Dunne finally competed in her first event of the year on Friday.
The 20-year-old social media sensation had been sidelined all season due to an injury.
Dunne scored a 9.825 on bars, helping No. 8 LSU take home a win over No. 9 Alabama by a score of 197.975-197.925.
The Tigers will compete again Friday, March 3, against California, Washington and George Washington.
Dunne, who boasts more than 3.7 million Instagram followers, and her older sister, Julz, took to the platform to celebrate.
Dunne, who is a junior on a four-year athletic scholarship at LSU, made headlines last month when a massive crowd of screaming male fans showed up at the Tigers’ season-opener against Utah in Salt Lake City.
The fan attention sparked a police presence at the gymnastics meet, which led to LSU implementing new security measures.
Dunne’s popularity and success on the mat landed her at the top of On3 Sports’ list of female NIL moneymakers, valuing athletes by performance, influence, and exposure, which estimated her value at $2.3 million in October.
Livvy is back, and did you see the crowd for her performance?
This is why she needed extra security.
Coach Jay Clark said Tuesday that a security officer will now travel with the team to competitions for the rest of the season. ‘That person will be in our hotel and outside our locker room and getting us to and from the bus at the venue,’ Clark told The Advocate/Times-Picayune. ‘(The officer) will be there to create a perimeter that keeps everybody safe.’
Clark said he wanted to make sure that fans can seek autographs of the gymnasts but insisted his athlete’s safety had to be a priority.
Gymnasts often interact and mingle with their family and friends between routines but Clark suggested that could change in order to better protect the athletes. ‘Things have to change. We just can’t expose them,’ Clark added. ‘We’re looking at some policy changes that will give parents access at a different location to their daughters.’
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