Sun-kissed: Olympic champ Sevastyanova lounges TOPLESS on a beach as Instagram pin-up names her FAVORITE models of all time

Olympic champion gymnast Karolina Sevastyanova, who posed with former UFC champion Conor McGregor on Instagram earlier this summer, has been on the beach again for a topless shot before running through a lineup of her style icons.

2012 London Olympic Games gold medalist Sevastyanova has returned to her prefered spot of a sun lounger wearing even fewer clothes than usual, lying in a tiny bikini with the top undone in a shot captioned "memories".

The previous day she had posed in an outfit produced by a leading yoga clothing brand on a balcony in Monte Carlo while expressing her love for her chosen color of periwinkle.

Sevastyanova responded with mutual admiration for some of her friends who admired her fashion poses and athletic physique, variously telling her that she was "most gorgeous" and worthy of the ubiquitous fire emojis beloved of models on the social media platform.

The 25-year-old's skin-baring blast from the past was taken at Forte dei Marmi, an Italian seaside town in northern Tuscany which is known for its popularity among celebrities.

After lazing by a pool under mountains and announcing that the local temperature was 29 degrees, Sevastyanova used the platform's stories tool to publish fashion images of a close-up of a female behind showered in glitter and a naked model in a hat by the sea.

The two-time European champion then highlighted some of her inspirations by asking fans to choose between the likes of film stars Monica Bellucci and Angelina Jolie, models Irina Shayk and Adriana Lima and retro icons Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly.

Her final pairing featured former supermodel Linda Evangelista and one of the Canadian's contemporaries, Christy Turlington.

There was only one winner in the Russian's eyes. "Christy Turlington is my favorite 90s model," she revealed, accompanying her words with a photo of her hero, who was said to smoke a pack a day by the age of 16 and was diagnosed with emphysema at 31, holding a half-finished cigarette.

Sevastyanova's highlights reel for the summer on Instagram, where she has more than 431,000 followers, makes for idyllic viewing.

She has made her love for Italy clear, spending the last week in Bagni Fiore Paraggi, to the south-east of the country.

"You have to enjoy life," she advised her audience as she surveyed the region at night while music played at the end of last week, portraying herself made up in a white swimsuit.

As she stood in a dressing gown in a five-star hotel overlooking the hills, the revered rhythmic gymnast and cover model declared that she had made holiday memories that will last until next year.

"It was our best vacation ever," she reminisced. "So many emotions that until next summer it will be enough."