Known for her remarkable athletic skills and captivating social media presence, Sydney Smith, a Southern Connecticut State University student, is making her mark in gymnastics. With a burgeoning follower count of 2 million on TikTok and an additional 310,000 on Instagram, she’s quickly climbing the ranks of America’s top gymnastics social influencers.
However, Smith has some distance to cover before she can match up to Olivia Dunne, the current frontrunner in this space with a massive online fanbase of 12 million.
H2: Smith vs Dunne: A Spirited Digital Encounter
The surprising rise of Smith, a Division Two college competitor, into the spotlight is noteworthy. In comparison, Dunne attends the Southeastern Conference powerhouse Louisiana State University, which secured fourth place in the NCAA Championships. Despite this, Smith’s content has resonated with audiences, leading to her even accusing Dunne of imitating her.
The tension unfolded when Dunne posted a video performing a backflip on the beach, captioned “Beachnastics for the win :)”. It drew Smith’s attention as she had executed the same move on July 26, accompanied by the hashtag #beachgymnastics.
In response, Smith posted another video addressed to Dunne, expressing her disapproval: “This is like the second, third time you’ve copied me. I mean I love my fans and all, don’t get me wrong. I don’t care when people copy me. But I feel like I should get some credit for my creativity.” She humorously added a caption: “I mean shi I’ve copied too. But likee.”
Smith, who started her gymnastics journey at the tender age of seven and later trained at the Capital Gymnastics National Training Center in Burke, Virginia, in 2014, is on a mission to leave her distinct imprint in the gymnastics social media landscape.
