Leryn Dahiana Franco Steneri (born 1 March 1982 in

Asunción Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay o ...

) is a

Paraguayan Paraguay (; ), officially the Republic of Paraguay ( es, República del Paraguay, links=no; gn, Tavakuairetã Paraguái, links=si), is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to th ...

model, actress and former athlete who currently works for the athletics department of

Club Sol de América Club Sol de América is a Paraguayan sports club, mostly known for its football team. The club is located in Barrio Obrero, Paraguay, and it was founded in 1909. The stadium Sol de America uses for most of its first division games is located ...

. Franco participated at the

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing ...

and

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

Olympics competing in the

javelin throw The javelin throw is a track and field event where the javelin, a spear about in length, is thrown. The javelin thrower gains momentum by running within a predetermined area. Javelin throwing is an event of both the men's decathlon and the ...

. On 8 June 2012, Franco achieved a personal best throw of 57.77 m in

Barquisimeto Barquisimeto (; guc, Watkisimeeta) is a city in Venezuela. It is the capital of the state of Lara and head of Iribarren Municipality. It is an important urban, industrial, commercial and transportation center of the country, recognized as the fo ...

Venezuela Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in ...

at the

2012 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics The 2012 Ibero-American Championships in Athletics (''Spanish: XV Campeonato Iberoamericano de Atletismo'') was the fifteenth edition of the international athletics competition between Ibero-American nations. It was held at the Polideportivo Máxi ...

. Her achievement also became the new national record, having surpassed the previous record of 55.66 m, which Franco threw at the

2011 South American Championships in Athletics The 2011 South American Championships in Athletics were the 47th edition of the South American Championships, organised under the supervision of the CONSUDATLE. They were held at the National Center of High Performance Athletics (''Centro Naciona ...

. In 2013, she was cast in

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

film '' Eliza Lynch: Queen of Paraguay'', portraying the role of the younger Eliza Lynch.

Athletics

On 3 September 2002, she broke her own javelin throw record reaching 51 metres in an international tournament contested in São Caetano, Brasil.

Modeling and beauty pageants

Franco appeared in the 2011 ''

Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue The ''Sports Illustrated'' Swimsuit Issue is published annually by American magazine ''Sports Illustrated'' and features female fashion models, celebrities and athletes wearing swimwear in various locales around the world. The highly coveted c ...

''. She has competed in several beauty pageants. In 2006, she was runner-up Miss Universo Paraguay 2006. She participated in the

Miss Bikini of the Universe Miss Bikini of the Universe is an international beauty pageant held annually in Beihai, Guangxi, China. In 2009 the pageant was held from September 30 to October 6. It was planned to make a Guinness World Record with a T-shaped runway. The theme ...

pageant. Franco has her own calendar, which was photographed in 2007 by Martin Crespo.

Personal life

Franco's parents were born in

Uruguay Uruguay (; ), officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay ( es, República Oriental del Uruguay), is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast; while bordering ...

and she is a fan of Olimpia in Paraguay and

Peñarol Club Atlético Peñarol (; English: ''Peñarol Athletic Club'') —also known as ''Carboneros'', ''Aurinegros,'' and (familiarly) ''Manyas''— is a Uruguayan sports club from Montevideo. The name "Peñarol" comes from the Peñarol neig ...

in Uruguay. Franco played football before pursuing javelin. She is also a graduate in Business Administration.

Acting career

In 2013, Franco was cast for the role of Younger Eliza Lynch in the film which was filmed in Paraguay, Argentina, Brazil, France, England and Ireland. Film Ireland described Franco's performance as "beautifully captures the spirit of a young Eliza Lynch".

Film

Personal bests

* Javelin throw: 57.77 m NR –

, 8 June 2012

Competition record

International competitions

National championships

Seasonal bests

IAAF Profile *1999 - 43.56 *2000 - 46.50 *2001 - 47.28 *2002 - 51.81 *2003 - 53.09 *2004 - 54.68 *2005 - 49.78 *2007 - 55.38 *2008 - 53.34 *2010 - 50.98 *2011 - 55.66 *2012 - 57.77 ( NR) *2013 - 55.68 *2014 - 52.86

References

External links

* * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Franco, Leryn 1982 births Living people Paraguayan javelin throwers Athletes (track and field) at the 2004 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2008 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2012 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 2003 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2007 Pan American Games Athletes (track and field) at the 2011 Pan American Games Olympic athletes for Paraguay Paraguayan female models Paraguayan film actresses Pan American Games competitors for Paraguay World Athletics Championships athletes for Paraguay Female javelin throwers Sportspeople from Asunción Paraguayan female athletes Paraguayan people of Uruguayan descent