This week's Sports Illustrated's cover stars are back together again for the second time in just a month.

But it's no surprise given that, between them, they have racked up no less than 16 Olympic medals - 13 of them being gold.

14 of those medals appear on this week's cover around the necks of Michael Phelps, Katie Ledecky and Simone Biles - with the only medals missing being the bronze Simone scored on beam shortly after the photo was taken and another gold she won in the floor exercise on Tuesday. 

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Aside from the missing beam bronze and floor gold, Simone has racked up a further three golds already, including the team, all-around and vault events.

Katie finished top of the podium in the 200m, 400m and 800m freestyle, as well as scoring gold in the 4x200m freestyle relay and silver in the 4x100m freestyle relay.

As well as three relay golds, Michael managed a stunning victory in the 200m butterfly as well as the 200m individual medley and won silver in the 100m butterfly. Michael is retiring having won 28 Olympic medals, 23 of them gold.  

The cover photo shows the athletes proudly displaying their medals with Michael in the center putting his arms around his fellow medalists. 

But there is one strange issue with the photo: how is 4'8 Simone standing tall enough for 6'4 Michael to comfortably put his arm around her?

Well, as is revealed in a 360 behind-the-scenes video showing the photo shoot in progress, the petite champion was actually standing on a box during the session. 

The video also features Michael showing Katie how to arrange her medals for photos, telling her: 'I've done it before, you'll learn, don't worry about it.'

In another behind-the-scenes clip, Katie describes what it was like looking up to Michael as a young swimmer before joining him for two Olympic Games. 

'To be a part of two Olympic teams with him has meant a lot and I've learned a lot from him,' she said, adding that she and Simone have been wishing each other good luck over the Games in Rio. 

The trio previously posed together on the magazine's cover back in July for a preview of the Games, with Simone in a white leotard leaping over the heads of Michael, Katie, basketball player Kevin Durant, track star Allyson Felix, decathlete Ashton Eaton, and soccer player Alex Morgan. 

While the new cover is only Simone's second, it is actually Michael's 11th, having made his debut on the magazine back in 2004 for the run-up to the Athens Olympics.