Megan Rapinoe Flaunts Athletic Figure in These 6 SI Swim Photos in St. Lucia

The three-time Olympian was featured in the 2019 SI Swimsuit Issue.

Cara O’Bleness | Oct 31, 2023

Megan Rapinoe was photographed by Ben Watts in St. Lucia.

Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Legendary USWNT soccer star Megan Rapinoe posed for the SI Swimsuit Issue in 2019, when she traveled to St. Lucia with photographer Ben Watts.

It was an incredible year for the athlete—not only did she help lead her team to a FIFA Women’s World Cup victory, she was also named Sports Illustrated’s Sportsperson of the Year. The OL Reign winger, who announced her retirement in July, is a three-time Olympian with both a gold and bronze medal to her name.

When it came to her SI Swimsuit debut four years ago, Rapinoe made history as the first openly gay model to pose for the publication.

“I think it’s really quite a bold statement by Sports Illustrated to be honest because it has been seen as sort of this magazine only for heterosexual males,” the 38-year-old athlete said at the time. “I think so often with gay females in sports there’s this particular stereotype about it and there’s such a narrow view of what it means to be gay and be athletic. So, to kind of just blow that up and and do something totally different I think is really important.”

The same year she appeared in the issue, fellow USWNT soccer players Alex Morgan, Crystal Dunn and Abby Dahlkemper were also featured.

In addition to Rapinoe’s success on the pitch, she’s also an entrepreneur, as she and partner Sue Bird cofounded production company A Touch More last December. Rapinoe is also cofounder of TOGETHXR, a media company she created alongside Bird, Morgan, Chloe Kim and Simone Manuel.

In honor of Rapinoe’s many accomplishments, below are a few of our favorite snapshots from her SI Swimsuit feature in the Caribbean.

Megan Rapinoe — Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Make sure to follow SI Swimsuit on YouTube!

Published Oct 31, 2023

CARA O’BLENESS

Cara is a trending news writer/editor for Sports Illustrated Swimsuit. A passionate writer and editor with more than 10 years of experience in print and online media, she loves storytelling and believes that words have the power to change the world. Prior to joining the team, Cara worked as a writer and editor across a number of content verticals, including food, lifestyle, health and wellness, and small business and entrepreneurship. In her free time, Cara loves reading, spending time with her family and making her way through Michigan’s many microbreweries. She is a graduate of Michigan State University's School of Journalism.