Filipino-American model Kelsey Merritt is turning on the heat in the annual Sports Illustrated Swimsuit 2021 issue.
The issue has three cover options for readers to choose from: Grammy Award-winning artist Megan Thee Stallion, Olympic athlete Naomi Osaka, and Leyna Bloom, who is the first transgender to be featured by the magazine on its cover.
It all gets even more stunning from there, with models and celebrities including Jasmine Sanders, Anitta, Natalie Mariduena, Kate Bock, Josephine Skriver, Lais Ribeiro, Marquita Pring, Maggie Rawlins, Valentina Sampaio, Olivia Culpo, Yumi Nu, Emily DiDonato, Nyma Tang, and Kelsey, among others, gracing the inside pages.
Kelsey posted on social media some photos taken during the shoot, giving the public a glimpse of what to expect on this year's edition of the annual special.
Kelsey first appeared on Sports Illustrated in 2019. She graced the magazine's pages again in 2020.
Kelsey makes an impressive return for the magazine's 2021 edition.
“So incredibly grateful to be back again with the most amazing family,” Kelsey wrote on Instagram, referring to the team behind the magazine.
“I am so proud of the roster of girls in this issue, so happy to see so much diversity in every aspect of it,” said Kelsey about this year's swimsuit edition.
Kelsey was born in Pampanga on October 1, 1996. Her mother is Filipino while her father is of French, German, British and Irish descent.
Kelsey has a degree in Communication from Ateneo de Manila University.
Kelsey flew to New York after college to pursue a modeling career.
Prior to New York, Kelsey appeared in numerous commercials and magazine covers here in the Philippines.
She became the first Filipino-American model to walk the runway in a Victoria's Secret Fashion Show in New York in 2018. The event was also Kelsey's runway debut.
The swimsuit issue of Sports Illustrated was launched in 1964.
The magazine's swimsuit concept is credited for legitimizing the bikini as a valid piece of apparel.
Kelsey joins a long list of personalities who have graced the pages of the magazine including Tyra Banks, Elle Macpherson, Christie Brinkley, Heidi Klum, Beyonce Knowles, and Kate Upton.