Megan Rapinoe might be a beast on the soccer field, but that doesn’t mean she’s totally immune to any clumsiness—and she handles it like the literal champion she is.
The soon-to-be-retired US women’s national team star was photographed by Ben Watts in St. Lucia for the 2019 SI Swimsuit issue. She snapped tons of stunning beach photos, laid on the shore while waves crashed on to her, kicked a soccer ball around and even posed on a stand-up paddle board.
“There’s about 25 of us on a little boat in the middle of the ocean and were shooting from a boat to a paddle board in front of The Piton so theres a lot going on,” editor in chief MJ Day explained in a behind the scenes video at the time. “There’s waves, there’s wakes, there’s balance issues—just a lot of stuff.”
Rapinoe, who plays for OL Reign of the NWSL, stood straight on the board with her knees locked and feet shoulder-width apart. Her arms were extended and held on to the oar resting horizontally on her shoulders. The 38-year-old showed off her signature smolder to the camera and held it before slightly losing her balance and tumbling into the the water without so much as a scratch or scream.
“Took a dive,” Day continued with a smile and sigh of relief. “She saved her face. She’s perfect.”
Rapinoe is a total pro at getting back up with her game face on.
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