Everything You Need to Know About Caroline Marks, Returning SI Swimsuit Athlete

The pro surfer made her brand debut back in 2020. Four years (and one Olympic gold medal) later, she’s making her return.

Caroline Marks / Kohjiro Kinno/Sports Illustrated

Around here, Caroline Marks is a household name. The American professional surfer traveled to Turks and Caicos for her Sports Illustrated Swimsuit debut back in 2020, and in the years since, we’ve been keeping close tabs on her impressive career trajectory.

And there’s really no wonder as to why. Marks is a two-time Olympian, and—as of this past summer—an Olympic gold medalist, too. But that’s not the extent of her impressive accomplishments on the waves, either. At the end of 2023, she took home the World Surf League (WSL) title at just 21 years old.

All of which is to say, we’re thrilled to welcome such an incredible athlete back to the pages of the annual magazine. Right now, Marks is at The Boca Raton where Ben Horton will photograph her for the 2025 issue—her second brand feature.

“We are thrilled to launch our shoot season for the 2025 issue with an extraordinary lineup of powerful female athletes,” SI Swimsuit editor in chief MJ Day said of the group, which includes Marks. “This remarkable group, featuring Olympic medalists, world champions, and record holders, embodies the next generation of all-stars poised to transform the world of sports. They defy stereotypes and champion equality, inspiring young girls to envision themselves as both athletes and leaders. At SI Swimsuit, we’ve always celebrated the future of women, and there’s no better way to honor these remarkable achievements than by featuring them on the pages of our issue.”

Where Marks is concerned, this isn’t the last you’ll be hearing from us ahead of the issue launch. Today, the SI Swimsuit Instagram will be sharing behind the scenes content from her photo shoot, so be sure to follow along.

Caroline Marks / Ryan Pierse/Getty Images

Marks’s record on the waves

Marks kicked off her professional career in 2018 when she became the youngest surfer to qualify for the WSL Championship Tour. With three third-place performances in her debut season, the young star easily took home the tour’s Rookie of the Year award. The following season, she defeated veteran surfer Carissa Moore to take home her first WSL event title at the Boost Mobile Pro Gold Coast.

Shortly after her brand debut, she qualified for and competed in the Tokyo Games. It was her first Olympic appearance, and Marks put up an impressive fight. Despite her efforts, she finished in fourth place, narrowly missing the podium. Much as any determined athlete might, she used the experience as motivation.

She took the disappointment and turned it into success. During the 2023 season, Marks recorded six podium finishes and three wins on the Championship Tour. And she closed out the season with her first WSL Championship Tour title last fall.

In her return to the international stage this past summer, the now 22-year-old was determined to do what she couldn’t last time—reach the podium. And she did just that. With an impeccable performance, Marks took the Olympic gold medal at the 2024 Games.

Caroline Marks / Sylvain Lefevre/Getty Images

Now, she’s closing out quite the impressive year with another noteworthy achievement: her second SI Swimsuit feature.

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