"Sports Illustrated really celebrates all diverse body types and that was my favourite part about it."
The Olympic gold medallist Caroline Marks has marked a return to the glossy pages of Sports Illustrated with her second bikini shoot, described by the magazine as “sizzling”.
The magazine sent out a teaser shot of the half-Greek 2023 world champ from Boca Raton, Florida, wearing an on-trend black string bikini, sun-kissed tresses blown off her face by either a stiff wind or some sort of portable outdoor fan.
“Though we’ll have to wait to see the full results of Marks’s photo shoot today, we are thrilled to share the first look, seeing the surfer posing on the beach wearing a black string two-piece,” wrote SI. “A spin on the classic bikini, the suit features crisscross neckline straps on top and double strings on the bottom. Marks was glowing, with the water behind her signaling that she was totally in her element. Her blonde hair blew in the ocean breeze and her glam was kept simple to showcase her natural beauty. Complete with a Floridian tan, Marks looked so stunning.”
A who’s who of surfing, including pint-sized tour veteran Kalani Robb, dived beneath SI’s Instagram post to celebrate the milestone.
USA Surfing wrote: Oh my goodness. Beautiful, powerful and amazing inside and out. ❤️
Just after turning eighteen four years ago, Marks debuted in Sports Illustrated telling its readers,
“The whole crew I was working with, everyone was so positive. I felt really comfortable and confident and, you know, I had just turned 18, so for me, that was like a really big deal of like kind of showing more of my body and being around like a bigger production. Obviously, Sports Illustrated is a very big brand, so for me, the comfortability factor was huge and I think Sports Illustrated really celebrates all diverse body types and that was my favourite part about it. Still to this day it is one of my favourite shoots and it’s really cool to have all the photos still and just have those memories.”