Meet Sports Illustrated's Swimsuit Issue Cover Girl, Irina Shayk

Topics: irina shayk, irina shayk sports illustrated, nation, Sports Illustrated, sports illustrated cover, sports illustrated swimsuit, sports illustrated swimsuit 2011, sports illustrated swimsuit cover
Irina Shayk

Irina Shayk will be plastered all over billboards and newsstands momentarily. But first, get to know the cover girl for Sports Illustrated's 2011 Swimsuit Issue.

The annual issue is often a star-making platform, with models like Christie Brinkley, Tyra Banks and Heidi Klum gracing the cover. Even recent cover girl Brooklyn Decker landed a movie gig, appearing in the recent Adam Sandler flick Just Go With It.

(More on TIME.com: See a Q&A with former cover girl Bar Refaeli)

Because NewsFeed knows when most readers see a picture of Shayk, they want to know fun facts about her, we're happy to provide. Here's what you might not know about her.

    * She's the first Russian Sports Illustrated cover girl
    * She hails from Yemanzhelinsk, Russia, a city so small it doesn't show up on most maps
    * She has appeared in every swimsuit issue since 2007
    * Her bathing suit, if you were wondering, was designed by Sauvage by Elizabeth Southwood