Michelle Jenneke, the Australian Olympic hurdler who became an internet sensation, and surfer Alana Blanchard were two of the featured athletes in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue.
The magazine releases the issue every year during the February sports lull and although Kate Upton and Katherine Webb were the most anticipated photos to be released, Jenneke was considered to be one of the top athletes in the issue.
Jenneke first came to fame after her dance warm-up routine before the 100m hurdles at the IAAF World Junior Championships in Barcelona last year went viral on the internet. Now she spears in the athletes section of the issue, along with Blanchard and Dutch hockey stars Ellen Hoog and Eva de Goede.
The magazine released a photo shoot video with Jenneke and it has over 20 million views. Along with Jenneke was 22-year-old surfer Alana Blanchard, who took s first place in the 2009 Reef Hawaiian Pro Specialty and 1st in 2007's Women's Pipeline Championships and is considered one of the best young riders in the world.
According to Take40.com, Jenneke is studying at Sydney University for a combination of mechanical and electrical engineering.
In preparation for the release of the issue, Katherine Webb and other models went on The Late Show with David Letterman", while Upton was on the today show to discuss her shoot in Antarctica.
"The penguins kept me going. They're adorable," she said, "and any time I was like, 'I can't do it anymore,' I would look at them and I was like, 'Okay, for them [I can do it].' I was doing it for the penguins."
Upton is just the fifth model to have covers in two straight years, following Christie Brinkley (1979-81), Elle MacPherson (1986-88), Paulina Porizkova (1984-85) and Tyra Banks (1996-97). The main part of the photo shoot was in Antarctica, while others were in more tropical climates.
The Sorts Illustrate website has an interactive feature with the new issue, allowing users to check out individual models and their past pictures in the magazine. Upton did a Super Bowl commercial that was a huge hit for Mercedes and featured her next to a car clad in a tank top and shorts.
CLICK HERE for photos of Kate Upton on the cover and inside the swimsuit edition.
