Here's a sneak preview of bodypainted swimmer Natalie Coughlin in the 2012 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue hitting newsstands, SI.com/Swimsuit, tablets and iPhones today.

Along with LPGA golfer Natalie Gulbis and soccer star Alex Morgan, Coughlin stripped off her swimsuit and posed nude -- albeit with some carefully applied bodypaint.

"It feels like something in between a swimsuit -- and being naked," says Coughlin about the bodypainting experience.

The three-time Olympic gold medalist says she "jumped" at the chance to pose in bodypaint. It took 11 hours to apply, while Coughlin stood the whole time at a photo studio in New York.

"I wasn't really nervous about that aspect of it at all. I was just so honored that they thought of me."

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Coughlin, who has nearly 37,000 followers on Twitter, says she's happy she posed for what she considers an "iconic" franchise. "It's awesome to be able to say I have done a Swimsuit Issue. When I'm old and wrinkly and out of shape, I'll be very, very proud of that."

SI's Jimmy Traina already unveiled preview pics of Morgan posing in the buff with bodypaint. SI has posted pictures of Gulbis posing in a painted-on green and white bikini.

Coughlin says she hopes more female athletes pose for the issue, which is read by 70 million adults.

"As beautiful as the supermodels are, I think it's great to have different types of bodies," she says. "To have an athletic body in SI Swimsuit Issue, I think, is really important. SI is a sports magazine in the first place. So it's nice to have balance between models and athletes."

Kate Upton was unveiled as cover model during a taping of CBS' The Late Show with David Letterman in New York on Monday night.

This year's issue will feature 18 models as well as three male athletes: Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, NBA star Chris Paul; and tennis star Rafael Nadal.

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