From Shakira to Sydney McLaughlin-Levrone, Jordan Chiles Has Big Ideas for the Next SI Swimsuit Cover

The Olympic gymnast gave us some great insight into her top picks for future front-page features.

Jordan Chiles was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

When SI Swimsuit’s 2025 issue hit newsstands, Jordan Chiles was one of four game-changing women to grace the cover, joining fellow cover stars Salma Hayek Pinault, Olivia Dunne and Lauren Chan.

“For most of my life, I struggled with how my body looked. Being in the public eye and seeing negative comments only fed how I saw myself,” Chiles penned when her debut cover with the brand launched. “Only a few years ago was I able to fully embrace my beauty and realize that my body was the reason I achieved so much. And now THIS.”

Jordan Chiles was photographed by Ben Horton at The Boca Raton. / Ben Horton/Sports Illustrated

Traveling to Manhattan to celebrate the major milestone, Chiles attended the brand’s Launch Party at the Hard Rock Hotel New York, as well as the brand’s inaugural SI Swimsuit Social Club during the same weekend. Then, the Olympic gymnast traveled down to Miami, Fla., to walk in her first SI Swimsuit Runway Show during Swim Week in late May.

While in the Sunshine State, we chatted with the Olympian about her cover model accomplishment and asked who she’d like to see join her with front-page honors moving forward.

“There are so many different athletes. It would be really cool to see Sydney McLaughlin [-Levrone],” Chiles noted, referring to the four-time Olympic gold medalist who competed in the Paris games alongside USA Track and Field teammates and SI Swimsuit rookies Gabby Thomas and Anna Hall.

Still, Chiles’s suggestions ranged beyond the athletic realm, crediting “woman empowerment” as the blueprint for a coveted front page spot, adding, “That's what this is all about.”

“I think Shakira would be really cool as well,” Chiles suggested, saying that the four-time Grammy Award-winning artist has “done such amazing things throughout her career.”

Remi Bader, Katie Austin, Jena Sims, Jordan Chiles, Dominique Ruotolo, Alix Earle and Jasmine Sanders / Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Sports Illustrated

And while the pair of trailblazing women were at the forefront of Chiles’s mind at the time, the 24-year-old also stated that the opportunities are truly endless for front-page features moving forward. “There are a lot of women who have, you know, given their flowers and done incredible things in their lives.”

But for now, we’re still soaking in Chiles’s stunning debut cover and the confidence that shines through in the athlete’s feature.

“I’ve embraced every single aspect of who I am, and I’ve embraced the amazing body that I have,” the cover girl told PEOPLE. “As women, we have to go through a lot. We go through our cycles, we go through body positivity, sometimes imposter syndrome [...] Our bodies are our bodies. Nobody can take that away.”

Next. The Best String Bikinis to Balance Minimalism and Style. The Best String Bikinis to Balance Minimalism and Style. dark