Leryn Dahiana Franco Steneri (born 1 March 1982 in Asunción) is a Paraguayan model and athlete. She specializes in the javelin throw and became an internet sensation during the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Her personal best throw is 55.66 metres, achieved in June,2011 in Buenos Aires. She is perhaps more famous for her beauty than athletic ability, however, and appeared, most notably, in the 2011 Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition.
Raised in the capital of Asunción, she broke the national records for the under 17 year age group in 1998 for both the javelin and triple jump. After winning bronze medals in 1999 and 2000 Franco won the South American Junior Championship javelin title in 2001. Franco was South American under 23 champion in 2004.
Her performances at world level are 24th in the 2003 World Championship and 42nd out of 45 at the Athens Olympics. Although she set her personal best in 2007 she finished 12th (last) at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. In 2008, she competed in the Beijing Olympics.
Contents |
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Representing Paraguay | ||||
| 2001 | Universiade | Beijing, China | 10th | 43.69 m |
| 2003 | Pan American Games | Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic | 8th | 50.21 m |
| World Championships | Paris, France | 24th | 51.13 m | |
| 2004 | Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | 42nd | 50.37 m |
| 2007 | Pan American Games | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 8th | 52.24 m |
| South American Championships | São Paulo, Brazil | 3rd | 53.80 m | |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, PR China | 51st | 45.34 m |
| 2011 | South American Championships | Buenos Aires, Argentina | 2nd | 55.66 m (NR) |
| Pan American Games | Guadalajara, Mexico | 13th | 48.70 m | |
She combines her athletic endeavours with a career as a model and beauty pageant contestant. In 2006, she was runner-up Miss Universo Paraguay 2006. She participated at the Miss Bikini Universe pageant and also has her own calendar, which was shot in 2007 by Martin Crespo.[1] She placed #86 in AskMen.com's 2009 "Top 99 Women" poll.[2]
On 14 December 2009, Bleacher Report, ranked her as No. 6 in its list of "The 40 Hottest Female Athletes Of The Decade"[3] On 23 August 2010, Bleacher Report upgraded Leryn Franco to No. 1 in its list of "The 100 Hottest Athletes Of All Time".[4]