Latest news with #gymnastics
Daily Mail
5 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Livvy Dunne opens up on feud with New York Times after 'sex sells' photoshoot
Livvy Dunne has lifted the lid on her bitter feud with the New York Times, almost three years after the outlet suggested she uses her sexuality to make money. Dunne, 22, was left furious in November 2022 when The Times published a profile on the then-LSU gymnast with the headline: 'New Endorsements for College Athletes Resurface an Old Concern: Sex Sells'. And years later, the social media sensation opened up on the fury that the article triggered in her, before admitting that the negative experience opened up new opportunities for her. Sitting down with WWE 's Steph McMahon on her 'What's Your Story?' podcast, Dunne revealed the role the article played in clinching her first-ever Sports Illustrated Swimsuit cover. Speaking about her work with Sports Illustrated, Dunne said: 'It all started because of a hit piece [that] the New York Times wrote about me. 'They came to our gymnastics facility at LSU, took pictures of me. They said, "wear your team-issued attire, put on a leotard," and they took a picture of me standing in front of the beam like any gymnast would and then they blew it up on the screen and put the headline, "Sex Sells".' Dunne continued: 'Okay well, you just came into the facility and took pictures of me in our team-issued attire and blew it up on a screen. So I was like, well this is crazy. And there was obviously a lot of backlash to the New York Times because of that. 'I decided I was going to put that same picture that they posted and captioned "Sex Sells" on my Instagram story and write "@ The New York Times, is this too much?" Because, come on, you know what you're doing. You just put a picture of me in a leotard for clicks and then caption it "Sex Sells." 'And then people loved that. They were like this is so great because no, it's not too much. You're in your team-issued attire, which is a leotard for gymnasts." [...] There was a lot of positive feedback from that. 'So, Sports Illustrated reached out to my agent. I was so excited about that. That was always a dream of mine. There's some legends and some amazing athletes that have been in Sports Illustrated.' In May, Dunne, who called time on her athletics career last month, was named as one of four cover stars for SI Swimsuit's 2025 edition after appearing in two previous issues. Her first cover shoot with the magazine, which was carried out in Bermuda, showed Dunne her in tropical conditions while wearing a collection of skimpy bikinis. The main cover shot saw her kneeling in the water in a zebra-print bikini top and green bottoms while staring directly at the camera. Dunne confided to McMahon that she captured that particular shot while kneeling on a fractured kneecap - an injury that heartbreakingly cut her fifth and final season with LSU short. Despite soldiering through injury, Dunne gushed over the experience, insisting that shoot left her feeling confident. In her five years at LSU, Dunne became the most-followed and highest-paid female college athlete with over 13 million combined TikTok and Instagram followers and a NIL (name, image and likeness) valuation of $4.1million. However, in April her gymnastics career finally came to an end as she bid an emotional farewell to the Tigers.
Yahoo
8 hours ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
More than 40 school girls take part in sports taster day
More than 40 girls have taken part in a sports taster day. The event, led by Sport Pembrokeshire, took place at Ysgol Bro Gwaun on July 7 and offered a range of activities including gymnastics, archery, taekwondo and zorb balling. There was also cricket, fitness sessions, netball, hockey and rowing. The day was supported by community clubs and providers, with help from the school's young ambassadors. Dan Bellis from Sport Pembrokeshire said: "We had a fantastic fun-filled morning of activities and a great time was had by all. "A big thanks to all the girls for their energy, effort and enthusiasm and to all the deliverers and local providers for supporting this event." He said it was especially rewarding to hear that even those who don't usually enjoy sport found the day fun. Water and fruit were donated by Princes Gate and Morrisons, and additional goodies by local businesses.
News.com.au
9 hours ago
- Entertainment
- News.com.au
Livvy Dunne's raw Olympics admission as beloved gymnast opens up about day her dream died
Olivia Dunne opened up about the brutal injury that dashed her dreams of becoming an Olympic gymnast. 'I was actually competing on a hurt ankle at the 2018 USA Championships and, yeah, part of my ankle bone died. … Yeah, it just died. So, my Olympic dreams died with it,' Dunne said on Thursday's episode of the 'What's Your Story? With Steph McMahon' podcast. 'It kind of healed a little bit. It stopped bothering me. I went to college after that, but it was so painful. That was kind of my first real injury.' Dunne suffered the injury, osteochondritis dissecans, while competing at the senior elite level as a 16-year-old, according to the New York Post. 'I've actually never gotten any surgery, which is kind of crazy for a gymnast,' she added. 'And I was like, I think if I just give myself time to heal, I can heal without surgery. But that's something I take pride in. I have never needed surgery as a gymnast, which is very uncommon.' Dunne began to compete in elite gymnastics in 2014, and she went on to join LSU, where she helped the Tigers to their first-ever national championship in 2024. She became a prominent figure on social media in her early years at LSU during Covid. The 22-year-old announced her retirement from gymnastics in April 2025 in the wake of an injury-riddled senior season. 'Gymnastics, you have filled my heart and will always be a part of me,' Dunne said in her retirement message. 'You've shaped me into the person I am today, creating memories and sisterhoods that will last a lifetime beyond the sport. You are my first love.' She currently boasts 8 million followers on TikTok, 5.4 million on Instagram and 191,100 on X, and is also a Sports Illustrated swimsuit model. Recently, she's been spotted often at MLB ballparks to cheer on her boyfriend, Pirates ace and former LSU standout Paul Skenes.
Forbes
9 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Junior Gymnast Lavi Crain Secures Massive Win At 2025 U.S. Classic
Lavi Crain (Blue Springs, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express) competes on the balance beam during ... More the junior session at the 2025 U.S. Classic in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. While the nation's top senior athletes wait to take to the stage on July 19 at the 2025 U.S. Classic gymnastics competition, one junior gymnast is already turning heads in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. 14-year-old Lavi Crain claimed the junior all-around title on Friday, dominating the field by over two full points and finishing in the top two on every event but floor. Crain, an athlete training at Great American Gymnastics Express (GAGE), posted a massive 54.450 to claim the all-around title, defeating Charleigh Bullock in second (52.650) and Kylie Smith (51.800) in third. In the individual events, Bullock stunned fans and judges on uneven bars, posting a dominant 14.400 to claim the win by nearly a whole point. Caroline Moreau won the floor title, executing difficult tumbling to post a strong 13.500. Crain also won gold on vault and balance beam en route to her first U.S. Classic all-around title. Lavi Crain (Blue Springs, Mo./Great American Gymnastics Express), silver medal winner Charleigh ... More Bullock (Spotsylvania, Va./Capital Gymnastics National Training Center) and bronze medal winner Kylie Smith (Loveland, Ohio/Cincinnati Gymnastics) pose during the medal ceremony of the 2025 U.S. Classic junior sessionv held in Hoffman Estates, Illinois. At just 14 years of age, Crain looked like a seasoned veteran on Friday in NOW Arena. But the Missouri native isn't just poised—her scores are internationally competitive. Her all-around score (54.450) would have challenged for the title at multiple major events. Crain's total would have clinched the silver medal at the following major international senior events: the 2025 Asian Championships, Pan American Championships, and European Championships. Tonight's win also marks her fourth straight all-around title in all four meets, maintaining an undefeated season. She began the year with a win at the U.S. Winter Cup, posting the highest beam score of any age group. Crain then took her success across the pond, delivering gold at the Jesolo Trophy. In June, she again claimed gold at the American Classic. Today, she added another 2025 title to her trophy case. With her win, Crain was the first athlete named to represent the U.S. at the upcoming Junior Pan American Games in late August. The event will mark the first continental championship of Crain's young and promising career. She will be joined at the games by Charleigh Bullock, Kylie Smith, Addalye VanGrinsven, and non-traveling alternate Addy Fulcher. However, before she heads to Paraguay with Team USA, Crain will go for her first national title at the U.S. Championships in New Orleans, scheduled for August 7-10. Unsurprisingly, Crain heads to Louisiana as the undisputed favorite for gold. In 2025, Lavi Crain continues to put the gymnastics world on notice. Perhaps even more impressively, the 14-year-old phenom still has years to grow.
Forbes
18 hours ago
- Sport
- Forbes
Simone Biles, Suni Lee, And Other Stars Missing From U.S. Classic Lineup
PARIS, FRANCE - JULY 28: Simone Biles of Team United States waves as she is joined by members of ... More Team United States following Subdivision 2 during the Artistic Gymnastics Women's Qualification on day two of the Olympic Games Paris 2024 at Bercy Arena on July 28, 2024 in Paris, France. (Photo by) The U.S. Classic returns to Hoffman Estates, Illinois, on July 18–19, but for the first time since 2022, the winner is guaranteed to be an athlete other than Simone Biles. Biles won the title in 2024, followed by five-time World medalist Shilese Jones and eventual two-time Olympic teammate Jordan Chiles in third. Biles has won the crown seven times in her storied career. In fact, not one of 2024's podium finishers will compete this weekend. Seven-time Olympic gold medalist Simone Biles has not yet indicated intent to return to gymnastics. Instead, the sport's most decorated athlete just returned home from a victorious ESPY Awards, where she won the awards for Best Female Athlete and Best Championship Performance. 'I'm really enjoying my time off before I decide (on competing),' Biles told in April. Shilese Jones was almost guaranteed a bid for the 2024 Olympic team but ultimately lost her spot due to an untimely injury at the U.S. Olympic Trials. Instead, the former World all-around silver and bronze medalist will appear at this weekend's event as a coach, helping guide younger athletes at the Hopes Championships. The 22-year-old has appeared at a pair of U.S. National Team camps this year, but has not shown full routines or outlined a return. Jordan Chiles wrapped a spectacular season with the UCLA Bruins in April. The then-junior led the team to a Big Ten Championship and National Runner-Up title, picking up an individual win on the uneven bars. Though Chiles has shown impressive training footage, the 24-year-old has not yet expressed her intent to return to the elite ranks and remains focused on her incoming senior year with the Bruins. Two-time Olympic Champions Suni Lee and Jade Carey also remain undecided on their returns to the competitive stage. Lee claimed hardware alongside Biles at last week's ESPYS, winning the award for Best Comeback Athlete. The Minnesota native has made numerous promotional appearances at sporting events nationwide. Jade Carey wrapped a near-perfect career with the Oregon State Beavers in April and appears to be still training. However, like Chiles, the Olympic and World Champion has not shown full routines or expressed a clear intent to return. Though she fell short of the Olympic team due to another untimely Achilles tear, two-time World team champion Skye Blakely is set to make her elite return at August's U.S. Championships in New Orleans. Tiana Sumanasekera, one of the 2024 Olympic alternates, will also return to the stage in August, opting to skip the U.S. Classic to nurse a nagging ankle injury. Who's Competing In Chicago As a result, the only member of the gold medal-winning team to compete this weekend is the youngest athlete from the 2024 U.S. Olympic delegation, 17-year-old Hezly Rivera. Rivera headlines a young and relatively inexperienced competitive field that will star 2024 Olympic alternates Leanne Wong and Joscelyn Roberson. Wong, a World all-around silver medalist, won the title in 2022 and is expected to contend for her second win this weekend. As one of the few premier meets of the U.S. elite gymnastics season, the U.S. Classic has long been a key meet for athletes to test their readiness and build experience heading into August's Xfinity U.S. Gymnastics Championships. The 'Classic' also serves as the final qualifier for athletes seeking berths to the championships. Click here to find out how to watch the event.
