Amanda Beard wasn't expected to make the cut at the Olympic swimming trials in June. We're sure it made victory particularly sweet for the seven-time medalist when she placed second in the 200-meter breaststroke -- and was subsequently nominated by her teammates to be one of the three captains of the U.S. Women's Swim Team in Beijing.

Here at Playboy we got the chance to see another side of this swimming phenom when she graced the cover of our July 2007 issue. Take a look back at this collection of Amanda's stunning photos (including never-before-seen shots) from Playboy magazine.