While taping an appearance for David Letterman's show, 25-year-old Russian-born model Irina Shayk found out that she won the cover of the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit edition. The model, who is currently dating football star Cristiano Ronaldo, photographed the cover and accompanying spread on location in Hawaii, and fought off hot competition from other models to win the cover.

She has previously appeared in the magazine on 5 other occasions, each of which were notably popular editions of the magazine. This cover shows Irina with a glowing tan, as she poses on the beach in a skimpy pink & yellow bikini.