Gymnastics golden girls strip down for Sports Illustrated

Gold medal-winning US gymnasts Aly Raisman and Simone Biles have swapped leotards for bikinis in the latest Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue.

Raisman and Biles were part of the hugely successful American women’s gymnastics team at Rio 2016, becoming household names in the States.

“Aly and Simone represent all that is beautiful and strong and inspiring in women today,” said MJ Day, the Swimsuit issue’s editor, in a statement.

“I love seeing them shine in an entirely different way in the Swimsuit issue and being able to share these gorgeous and powerful images with the world. These women, their beauty, and what they can achieve know no limits.”

The issue hits newsstands, mailboxes, and inboxes in February.

Ronda Rousey, Caroline Wozniacki and Lindsey Vonn were fellow athletes to appear in the swimsuit issue last year.

Biles was arguably the athlete of Rio 2016, marking her Olympic debut with a record-equalling four golds but just short of the record five she sought.

“It’s been a long journey, but I’ve enjoyed every moment,” said the 19-year-old Texan whose early life struggles had not set her out as the future face of women’s gymnastics.

The only blip standing between her and history was a slip on the beam on the penultimate day of competition, which gave her bronze.

She was the fifth woman to win four gold at the same Games after Hungarian Agnes Keleti (1956), Soviet Larissa Latynina (1956), Czech Vera Caslavska (1968) and Romanian Ecaterina Szabo (1984).

Raisman won silver behind Biles in the all-around and floor categories, bringing her to a total of six Olympic medals.

This made her the second most decorated American Olympic gymnast behind Shannon Miller.