Sports Illustrated Debuts Caitlyn Jenner Cover, Profile Piece

Sports Illustrated debuted a new cover this week, which features Olympic gold medalist Caitlyn Jenner, CNN reports.

Jenner, 66, posed with the gold medal she won at the 1976 Olympic Games for the magazine's upcoming July issue.

"The decathlon for me was the ultimate in what people think of as manhood," Jenner said in the interview. "So for me it was a good place to hide. I had a need to prove myself, that maybe that woman that's living inside of me really isn't living there."

The cover story also features a 22-minute video called "Jenner: 40 Years After Gold," where the athlete remembers what it was like to play at the Olympics and take home the top prize.

"I loved what I was doing," Jenner said. "I was the best in the world at what I did. But I knew [the 1976 Games] would be the last time. I kept thinking, 'Hold on to the moment, hold on to the moment. Remember this moment, it's going to be over so quickly. You've got a long life to live after this.'"

In the lengthy profile piece, Jenner also talks about being a trans woman and her transition. Jenner also talks about life as Bruce, with Sports Illustrated writer Tim Layden writing, "It is common for transgender people to disavow their pretransition lives, which were often painful. Caitlyn disavows neither Bruce nor his accomplishments."

"I loved Bruce," Jenner said. "I still love him today. I like what he did and the way he set an example for hard work and dedication. I'm proud of that part of my life.

"But this woman was living inside me, all my life, and it reached the point where I had to let her live and put Bruce inside," she added. "And I am happier, these last 12 months, than I've ever been in my life."

Read the full Sports Illustrated interview by clicking here. Watch the magazine's video on Jenner below.