Olympic Gold Medalist Crystal Dunn Proved Soccer Skills on SI Swimsuit Set in St. Lucia

The impressive athlete dribbled a ball on the idyllic beaches during her brand feature.

Crystal Dunn was photographed by Ben Watts in St. Lucia / Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Crystal Dunn and the U.S. women’s national team have returned to the top of the Olympic podium. After years of dominance in the early 2000s—during which they won three consecutive gold medals—the squad saw a dip in performance in the 2010s.

At the 2016 Rio de Janeiro games (Dunn’s Olympic debut), the team failed to medal for the first time since 1996, the year that women’s soccer became an Olympic sport. Though not a promising start to her career on the big stage, Dunn and her teammates returned to the podium at the 2020 Tokyo games, where they earned bronze (likewise for the first time since the inception of Olympic women’s soccer). That year, the star NWSL player was the only team member to start in all six matches, helping the USWNT tremendously en route to their podium finish.

But this year, the 2024 Paris games saw something a little different—and a little better. For the first time since 2012, the USWNT are gold medalists yet again. And Dunn is a gold medalist for the first time in her illustrious soccer career.

In honor of the fantastic feat, we have decided to take a look back at the impressive three-time Olympian’s one-time feature in the SI Swimsuit Issue. The year was 2019, and Dunn was en route to the FIFA World Cup in France. But first, she made a stop in St. Lucia, where she posed for a powerful photo shoot captured by Ben Watts.

On the beaches of the tropical destination, the athlete showed off her impressive skills, dribbling a soccer ball in a series of unique photos. While each snap from the feature is as incredible as the last, there are a few that we can’t stop thinking about. Here they are.

Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated

Ben Watts/Sports Illustrated